A Lifetime of Chances
by The Wandering Delusion
Summary: It was a freak accident. A series of events joined together to achieve the impossible. Now Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke are living their lives over and over again, with no end in sight. So they decided, be it a blessing or a curse, to make the most of the situation they find themselves in. They will live by their own rules and do whatever they want to do. This is their story.
1. Fox Blossom Inn

A Lifetime of Chances

Start

Ino groaned as she walked down the road. Her feet were killing her, her hair was a mess, and she just wanted to lie down and pass out. She knew that everyone else in the group felt the same.

They had just finished a grueling mission that they were completely unprepared for. It was supposed to be a simple C-class assignment; escort a drunken bridge builder home. It quickly spiraled out of control when trained assassins ambushed team 10 and very nearly killed all of them. It was only thanks to Shikamaru's quick thinking that allowed them to trap the Mist ninjas.

After learning the truth from the prisoners and their client, Asuma decided to continue the mission, but also call in for backup. Two days later, Team 8 and Team Gai arrived. Team 8's tracking and reconnaissance abilities would protect against future attacks and Team Gai's extra experience would provide the muscle in a fight.

With three teams, they were far better equipped to take on the Demon of the Mist and his strange ice apprentice, though the two still managed to slip away after the initial encounter. The following days were spent either watching the bridge or training, waiting for the rogue ninja's return.

Ino didn't like Team Gai at all. The sensei and his clone, Rock Lee, were exuberant to the point of insanity. The constant yelling and hugging had quickly frayed the Yamanaka's nerves. Neji Hyuuga was annoyingly pompous and seemed to have something against Hinata; Ino caught him glaring at the Heiress more than once. Though what the meek girl could have done to offend him was beyond Ino. The last member, Tenten, was nice enough, but seemed offended whenever Ino complained about what the moisture was doing to her hair.

Still, despite their…quirks, Ino had to admit that Team Gai knew what they were doing. While the Jonin focused on Zabuza, Team Gai quickly took charge and they were essential in taking down Zabuza's apprentice. Ino didn't want to think about what would have happened if Team 10 had fought the ice maiden alone. With the apprentice finished and the sensei's taking down Zabuza, it seemed that the mission was pretty much over.

Then Gato arrived.

With a small army of mercenaries in tow, Gato intended to walk across the bridge and raid the town for all it was worth. The Leaf Shinobi were the first, last, and only line of defense between them and the town. So the killing began. While the mercenaries were numerous, they were little more than thugs. To the trained ninja, even mere rookies, they stood no chance. Ino had never killed before, and she doubted anyone outside of the Jonin and possibly Team Gai had either. On that bridge she personally ended the life of five different men and watched numerous others die as well. Horrible people who intended to pillage and plunder, but human beings nonetheless.

Once Gato's army was wiped out, the greedy little coward quickly surrendered. Without his interference, the Bridge was quickly constructed and the mission ended.

That's where Ino currently found herself, trudging along the dirt road home, the deaths she caused weighing heavily on her mind. Ino wasn't stupid. Having come from a ninja clan, she knew that she would have to kill eventually. Her father had sat her down numerous times during the academy to explain just what kind of life she was committing to. Despite that, no amount of talking can properly prepare someone for the real deal.

Ino wanted to kick and scream. She wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. She wanted to just make horrible feeling in her stomach go away. Ino was pulled out of her inner turmoil by Asuma.

"It's already getting dark out; we might as well set up camp here."

Everyone began to pull out his or her camping necessities when Tenten spoke up. "Hey, what's that?" Everyone followed her gaze to see lights coming out of the tree line. Wordlessly, Neji activated his Byakugan to get a better look.

"It's an inn." He said after a moment. "A pretty big one at that. It's well lit, has lots of space, and looks brand new."

"You know, I've heard of a new inn around this area. I can't recall the name, but it's supposed to be a wonderful place to stay." Kurenai chimed in.

Ino's voice came out as a whisper. "Do…do you think we could stay there?" All eyes focused on her, causing the young mind walker to blush and focus on her bag. Asuma, Kurenai, and Gai were all shooting glances at each other, silently weighing the pros and cons. Most of the children in front of them had just recently experienced their first kill, a harsh moment for any ninja. The sensei decided that their students deserved some comfort tonight.

"Of course we can." Asuma said with a warm smile. Ino gave a weak one in return and began to gather up her things, with the others quickly joining her.

They worked their way through the trees to find a cobblestone path lit with small stone lanterns on either side. Following it, the Shinobi soon came upon the inn. It was a three-story building, made almost entirely out of wood. The surrounding trees formed a curved wall around the inn, leaving only one way in through the front path. The Leaf ninja entered through the sliding front door into the main floor.

The main floor was open and bright with a large staircase leading to the upper floors in the back and a fountain depicting a stone cherry blossom tree draining water onto a sleeping fox in the center of the area. The entire floor was wooden, save for the entrance area, which was stone for easy cleaning.

"Hello, and welcome to the Fox Blossom Inn. Will all of you be staying?"

Ino turned to her left; sitting behind a wooden receptionist desk was…

"Sakura?" Ino couldn't believe it. The woman sitting behind the desk appeared to be in her late twenties. She was dressed in an elegant red kimono with golden highlights. Her bright pink hair was done up in a bun with two ornate chopsticks stuck through it. To top it off, she was wearing a pair of black glasses with a jade ornament dangling from the left side. Despite all this, Ino knew she was staring at her former best friend.

Ino hadn't seen Sakura since the team placements. Ino had stewed with rage when she learned that Sakura was going to be on the same team as Sasuke, only to later find out that Team 7 failed their Jonin's exam. Upon learning this, Ino immediately went to Sakura's house. Whether Ino did this to rub it in, yell at her for getting Sasuke failed, or comfort her former friend; Ino wasn't entirely sure. When she got there however, Ino learned from Sayuri Haruno that Sakura had left home a week ago and no one had seen her since, likewise for Naruto and Sasuke. When Ino talked to her father about it, Inoichi brought it up to the Hokage at a council meeting.

Apparently, all three of them decided to give up being ninja and wanted to search for other career options outside the village, but still within Fire Country. The Hokage allowed this as long as they sent in regular reports regarding their progress.

That had been nearly three months ago. Now Ino was staring at what could only be described as an adult Sakura. Shikamaru put his hand on Ino's shoulder. "Come on, Ino. This can't be-"

The woman suddenly interrupted. "Well hello, Ino. Sorry, I didn't see you at first. Wow, three entire teams of leaf ninja. Welcome." While Team Gai just seemed confused, Teams 10 and 8 were staring in shock.

"Is that really you Sakura?" Ino asked. Older Sakura gave the blonde a warm smile.

"Yes, it's me. How have you been?"

"How have I been? Here's a better question; _where_ have _you_ been?"

Sakura looked thoughtful for a moment before responding. "Well, after Naruto, Sasuke, and I failed Kakashi's test, the three of us sat down and decided that being ninja just wasn't for us. Instead, we decided to look for other pursuits. We found this rundown old place and bought it for a real bargain. Then we renovated and opened for business. We're actually making quite a bit."

"How could you afford to buy and renovate this place?" Kurenai asked.

Sakura shrugged. "The Uchiha clan funds really helped."

Asuma was horrified. "You've been stealing from one of the Leaf's founding clans?" He demanded. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Of course not. Sasuke agreed to pay for the inn and renovations. He gets the majority of the money for working here anyway."

Ino's mind suddenly latched onto what Sakura was saying. "Wait a minute! You've been here alone with Sasuke for over three months?" The blonde's trauma was forgotten as she found herself in familiar territory, arguing with Sakura about Sasuke.

"Not exactly. Naruto is here too and we have a few new employees running about."

Ino was about to retort when Shino spoke. "If you're really Sakura, then why do you look like an adult?" Hinata and Neji both nodded

"It's not an illusion, my Byakugan can't see through it."

Sakura perked up. "Oh! This isn't any illusion, it's a Shape Shift."

Kurenai interjected. "That's not possible. The Transformation technique can make you look like another person, but it can't actually change you. Physically altering your own shape is impossible."

Sakura chuckled to herself before answering. "Kurenai, we live in a world where people can walk on water, see through walls, read minds, and even bend the very elements to their whim. I assure you, there's no such thing as impossible. I'm rather fond of a certain saying, 'Impossible is just another way of saying you haven't tried hard enough yet.'"

Kurenai wasn't sure what to say to that, so Asuma took over. "Even if you managed to develop a real shape shift, you're violating the law by using jutsu as a civilian."

Sakura clicked her tongue and adopted a lecturing pose. "First, I didn't create this technique, Naruto did. Second, normally you'd be right, but according to the village charter, any and all members of the Uchiha clan are allowed to learn and perform jutsu, regardless of civilian status."

Shikamaru's world-class brain quickly put the pieces together. "Are you saying that Sasuke-"

Sakura cut him off. "Inducted Naruto and I into the Uchiha clan? Yes. As honorary members of the clan; all three of us can use as much jutsu as we want." Sakura glanced down at her watch. "Now that that's out of the way, are you all going to be staying here?"

"Yes." Asuma said, quickly cutting off his blonde student from asking more questions. "How much is it per room?"

Sakura waved her hand dismissively. "Please, for Shinobi of the Leaf village like yourselves? It's on the house." Sakura snapped her fingers. A small vent above her head popped open and three small forms dropped out. The assembled ninja were surprised to find themselves staring at six-year-old versions of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. All three were dressed in plain, slightly dirty clothes, most likely from crawling around in the ventilation system.

Sakura ignored the confused looks of Leaf ninja and focused on the three she had called. "Saku, please escort these guests to the luxury suites. Naru, Sasu, I need you two to find Mr. Uzumaki and Mr. Uchiha and inform them that we have Teams Eight, Ten, and Gai staying with us."

The tiny doppelgangers saluted. "Yes Ms. Haruno." They chorused together. Naru walked up the wall and pulled himself back into the vent he came from. Sasu ran towards the large staircase and pulled open a trapdoor beneath the steps, quickly dropping inside. Saku, meanwhile, stood in front of the Leaf ninjas and held out her arm towards the stairs. "If you all would please follow me?" The tiny pink-haired girl turned and headed towards the stairs.

"Sakura, wait. What's going on?" Ino demanded.

The older Sakura got to her feet, glancing at her watch. "I'm sorry, Ino. I have work to get done. You'd better follow Saku, this place is easy to get lost in." With that, she vanished in a swirl of pink flower petals. The gathered ninja just stared in shock for a moment before they heard an annoyed sigh and turned to see Saku impatiently tapping her foot on the bottom stair. Not sure what else to do, they followed her up the stairs.

As they followed the seemingly young girl through the elaborate halls, Kurenai decided to get the ball rolling again. "So, the Clone jutsu?"

"The Shadow Clone jutsu, mixed with a Shapeshift" Saku corrected. "How else do you think the three bosses run this entire inn practically by themselves?"

"Why do you refer to Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura as being different people?" Asuma asked.

The tiny clone shrugged. "There are as many as thirty clones of each boss running around at any given time. To avoid confusion, different clones assigned to different jobs are given slightly different names and appearances, like Saku as opposed to Sakura. I'm in this form because it's easier to get around through the vents to deliver messages or report issues. At the end of the day, I'm still Sakura Haruno, but I'm just one of many."

"You three have mastered an A rank jutsu?" Gai asked, shocked at the amount of skill it would take to create so many clones for so long. Saku, however, shook her head.

"Definitely not. Mr. Uchiha and Ms. Haruno are simply proficient with the Shadow Clone jutsu. Mr. Uzumaki is the one who has mastered, perfected, and improved the technique."

Ino gave a derisive snort. "As if that idiot could ever even learn something so complicated, he couldn't even do regular clones." Saku suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, nearly causing Asuma to run into her. The young clone slowly turned towards Ino. Her green eyes, formally bright and joyful, were now cold and menacing. The jade orbs locked onto the blonde mind walker.

"Naruto is my very close friend, Yamanaka. A hundred of you wouldn't be worth a quarter of him." Green chakra suddenly erupted around Saku in a vortex. "Insult him again, and you'll have to answer to me!"

Eyes wide with fear, Ino desperately stuttered out an apology. Seemingly satisfied, Saku closed her eyes and reigned in her raging chakra. She tilted her head towards the ceiling. "I just got a little angry. I'm fine." Those who followed her gaze saw a pair of blue eyes within a vent staring down at them before vanishing. Saku gestured back down the hall. "I apologize for my outburst. Please follow me."

As the guide led them down the hall, the Leaf ninja were talking furiously amongst themselves.

"What the hell was that?" Ino whispered.

"I have no idea, it was scary though." Choji replied.

"Wasn't she in your academy class?" Tenten asked.

"She never showed off anything like that." Kiba said, trying to comfort a terrified Akamaru. "In the academy she would usually just fly off the handle and deck someone. Sakura could never use her chakra visibly like that!"

Meanwhile, the Jonin were having a conversation of their own. "How is it possible for a girl that young to have so much chakra? She has more than we do!" Kurenai demanded.

"She knows how to use it too." Gai said, grimly. "She carefully channeled her chakra into her pores and allowed it to overflow like a typhoon. It seemed wild and uncontrolled, but it was meticulously calculated."

"What I want to know is how Kakashi let her fail." Asuma said. "To have such large chakra reserves and such incredible control should have gotten her marked as a prodigy."

"Perhaps her teammates dragged her down?" Kurenai theorized.

Asuma shook his head. "Kakashi's not stupid. Lazy, but not stupid. He would have tested each of them, both as a group and individually. Even if she were holding back, which I can't think of a reason why she would, Sakura would have _had_ to display her talents. Even if the team failed, Kakashi would have taken her to the Hokage to get her an apprenticeship."

Gai seemed to ponder this. "Perhaps… she did intentionally hold back?"

Kurenai snorted. "Why would she possibly do that?"

"It could be that she decided that the life of a ninja wasn't one for her." Asuma supplied. Kurenai was unconvinced.

"After going through the entire academy, she just decided not to be a ninja and fail her test on purpose? Again, why? With how powerful she is, she would be a great ninja."

"Power isn't everything." Gai said softly. "There are plenty of ninja who are exceptionally strong, only to be put in a situation they couldn't handle. Kakashi's father, the White Fang, is one such example. To this day The White Fang is considered one of the strongest ninja to ever be produced by the Leaf. Yet, despite his power, he found himself in a situation where he had to choose between saving his teammates lives, and completing the mission. Instead of following protocol, The White Fang chose to save his comrades. Even the people he saved publically ostracized him for his choice. He lost his faith in village and in himself. He committed suicide while Kakashi was still just a boy."

Kurenai, having never heard this story, was shocked. Gai continued. "As I said, that is just one example of many. The Leaf is full of jaded individuals who made a wrong choice, or were just put in a no win situation. It's entirely possible that Sakura, studious girl that she is, came across some of these people while doing research about being a ninja. It isn't hard to imagine what affect the horror stories of ninja life could have on an impressionable young girl. She probably decided that she couldn't handle life as a ninja and quit before even really beginning. Frankly, I admire her for accepting that she wasn't cut out for this life and getting out before it's too late."

Kurenai was amazed that Might 'Flames of Youth' Gai was able to come to such a mature and credible conclusion. Asuma, who has known Gai for much longer then Kurenai, was unsurprised. Gai was one of village's top Jonin for a reason.

"Assuming that your theory is correct, then why wait to fail Kakashi's bell test? Why not just talk to her academy teacher and bow out?" Asuma asked.

Gai shrugged. "It could be that she didn't have the nerve to just up and quit, so she made it look like she wasn't skilled enough to be a Shinobi. That way, instead of having multiple people try and talk her into staying, they would all try to make her quit for her own safety."

Kurenai interjected. "That would be very clever, if your theory is correct. At best all we have are blind guesses. At least until we can get back to the village and ask Kakashi the exact details of the test."

"That brings up another point." She continued" Even if Sakura intentionally held back, Naruto and Sasuke would both have had to do poorly as well. On top of that, all three of them apparently decided to quit being ninja and open this inn. For Sakura, I could understand her being dissuaded, but Sasuke's desire to kill Itachi and Naruto's dream of being Hokage borderline on obsession. I can't imagine any horror story stopping either of them. So why would they quit as well?"

"I honestly haven't a clue." Gai admitted.

"Here we are." Saku spoke up. She gestured to three doors. "Each suite has a central living area and four separate bedrooms. Each team can have their own suite. Press the intercom button if you need anything. Dinner is at nine." With that, the young clone evaporated in a puff of smoke.

Without much else to do, the teams retired to their respective rooms.

Scene Break

"Oh God, that felt good." Ino sighed as she walked down the hall. A series of murmured agreements came from the others around her. They had just gotten out of the hot spring bath and they all felt wonderful.

The hot springs were massive stone basins carved into the ground. Decorative stones and statues littered the area around the springs. Various trees and bamboo plants were transplanted to give the feeling of being lost in the woods. Between each pool were high fences that guaranteed privacy. While indoor baths were available, the fences also surrounded the entire hot springs area, allowing the baths to be outside, under the stars.

The changing areas provided a series of scented soaps, shampoos, and bath salts. After taking their pick of cleaning lotions, the guys and girls went to their separate bathing areas.

After a _long_ and luxurious soak, the Leaf ninja found their clothes cleaned, dried, and pressed waiting for them. Clean, dressed, and hungry; the Shinobi made their way towards dinner. Following a series of signs, they found themselves at the dining hall.

Once again, the collective group was amazed. The dining hall was a massive room. The walls were painted a lush maroon with golden lining. The far wall held a mural depicting an orange fox running through a field with a blue wolf and a pink tiger. Tables littered the hall, covered in snow-white cloth and deep blue plates. A truly enormous crystal chandelier hung from the center of the ceiling, nearly twelve feet across. Smaller versions of the chandelier were hung along the edges of the room.

"Hi, I'm Sasuki. Party of twelve?" For the second time that night, the group was thrown for a massive loop. They were staring a young woman. She had long, dark blue hair done up in a ponytail, though some strands were loose to frame her face. Her eyes were coal black and she wore a kind smile. She was dressed in a form fitting black pants suit with a white collared shirt under her black vest and a black tie. Tiny red fans that the Jonin recognized as the Uchiha clan symbol hung from her ear lobes.

"Sasuke?" Ino asked.

The girl giggled. "No, it's Sasuki. Don't feel bad, it's a common mistake."

Ino quickly became the group's spokesperson. "Wha- what- what are you doing using that idiots perverted jutsu?" She demanded.

Sasuki's eyes narrowed as the smile left her face. "I ask that you please refrain from insulting Mr. Uzumaki. He is one of the respected owners of this establishment." The girl's eyes turned red. "And I don't appreciate little blonde brats slandering his name or his accomplishments."

Before Ino could respond, Sasuki's eyes returned to normal and she turned on her heel. "Now, if you'll please follow me, I'll show you to your seats." The group warily followed the very obviously female Uchiha to a large circular table, passing other patrons who were enjoying their food along the way. Once everyone was seated, Sasuki clapped her hands. "Right, I'll be right back with your food."

Asuma spoke up. "But we haven't ordered yet. We haven't even seen a menu."

Sasuki shook her head. "There's no need. Choji will have the full rack of barbeque ribs, medium rare. Shikamaru will have the grilled fish over linguini, lightly seared. Ino will have the tossed chicken salad with extra olives." Sasuki continued down the line, naming everyone's favorite dish. The ninja were all speechless. "If there isn't anything else, I'll get your food."

Soon, each ninja had a mouth-watering plate of food in front of them. Sasuki grinned as she watched them dig into the food. "Delicious, isn't it? Naruto takes great pride in his food." That made the group pause in their consumption.

"Naruto cooked this? I didn't know he _could_ cook." Ino muttered.

Sasuki's grin turned into a cruel smirk. "I think it's safe to say that there's a lot you don't know about _any_of us, Ino."

"Speaking of things we don't know," Kurenai began, idly wiping the corners of her mouth with her napkin. "We were wondering what made you decide to quit being a ninja and open this inn." Sasuki stared at Kurenai for a moment, making the woman slightly uncomfortable, before closing her eyes and sighing.

"To be honest, I didn't like who I was becoming." When asked to clarify, Sasuki shook her head ruefully. "Before testing us, Kakashi asked us what our dreams and desires were. I racked my brain and do you know what I came up with? I wanted to kill my brother. That's it. That's all I could think of. Without realizing it, killing my brother became my single reason for living. Think about it for a minute, even if I did succeed in killing Itachi, then what? I would be lost without a purpose or a reason for living."

Sasuki smirked. It didn't reach her eyes "So you know what? I decided that I wouldn't give the bastard the satisfaction. He told me to devote my life hatred and vengeance? Well, fuck him! I won't live for him or for anyone else. I'm only going to live for me and what I want, not what he wants."

The young woman (?) sighed. "The first step in separating myself from the path of an avenger was to quit being a ninja and find a new calling in life. When Sakura approached me with the offer to open this inn, I took it. I originally only intended to stay until I could figure out what to do with my life, but I like here. Sakura, Naruto, and I are in charge and it's actually a lot of fun. There's a lot of hard work as well, but that just makes working here all the more satisfying. You get what you put into it, you know? But above all else? I have Naruto and Sakura with me. As long as I have them, I don't need anything else. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other clients to attend to."

With that, the girl turned on her heel and left the ninja to their food and their thoughts.

Scene Break

After finishing their exquisite meal, the group decided to head to bed. While they all wanted to stay, for one reason or another, they still needed to report their mission to the Leaf village. So they had to leave early the next morning. They made their way towards the main lobby, intending to head up the main staircase to the suites.

They were surprised to see a man with a head of spiky blonde hair sitting at the reception desk, writing in a ledger. Ino was about to call out to Naruto when two men walked in.

Without looking up from his writing, Naruto spoke. "Hello and welcome to the Fox Blossom Inn. How long will you be staying with us?"

"You need to come with us, Naruto."

Only then did the blonde look up from his ledger. The two men were dressed in black cloaks, decorated with red clouds. The man who spoke was surprisingly short. His long black hair was pulled into a ponytail. Odd lines along his nose descended from his eyes. His red, Sharingan eyes.

The other man towered over his companion. His skin was pale blue and looked rough to the touch. Three lines similar to gills adorned his cheek under both eyes. His mouth was split into a wide grin, showing off razor sharp teeth. His blue-green hair was held up in spikes by his headband, which like his companion's, had a horizontal slash through it.

Naruto sighed and set down his pen as he got to his feet. As he reached his full height, the Leaf ninja realized Naruto was also in an adult form, dressed in a loose black and orange kimono.

"Akatsuki, right?" The two nodded. "And you're here for the Kyuubi?" They nodded again. "And there's no chance of just sitting down, having a drink, and talking this out?" Another pair of nods. A grin spread across Naruto's face. "Good." Naruto thrust out his arm, causing the two S-ranked missing ninjas to be flung off their feet by an invisible force and sent flying out the door.

Naruto performed a quick 360 twirl on his heel. His entire outfit changed as he spun. The kimono morphed into a pair of black pants, combat boots, and a black shirt decorated with orange flames along the bottom and the sleeves. Naruto turned to Saku and Sasu who were passing by. "Tell Sakura and Sasuke that I'm going to go deal with some rowdy clients." With that, he leapt out the doors after the two ninjas.

The Leaf Jonin pulled themselves out of their stupor and prepared to follow Naruto. Two people appeared in front of them, cutting them off. The Jonin realized they were looking at the older version of Sakura from earlier and an older, male version of Sasuke.

"What are you two doing?" Asuma demanded. "We need to go help Naruto."

Sasuke snorted. "Naruto can handle himself. You would just get in his way."

"That was Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki, two of the most dangerous men in the world. If we don't help Naruto, he's dead." Asuma insisted.

Sasuke glanced out the doorway behind him and gestured towards the fight. "He looks like he's doing fine to me." The Jonin rushed out the door, with the genin following them, only to stop and stare at the spectacle before them. Naruto wasn't just winning, he was cleaning house.

Kisame launched a giant water shark at Naruto, while Itachi shot a giant fireball from the opposite side. Naruto began spinning in place, a vortex of wind forming around him. Instead of being disrupted by Naruto's technique, the miniature tornado allowed both attacks to slip past Naruto. Kisame and Itachi suddenly found themselves in the direct line of fire from their partner's jutsu.

The two rogue ninja leapt away to avoid the attacks, which was exactly what Naruto wanted. Now that the two were separated, he could focus on them one at a time. The blonde appeared behind Kisame, causing the former Mist ninja's eyes to widen. The swordsman turned sharply, intending to shave off Naruto's legs with Samehada. The blonde grabbed Kisame's arm, halting the attack, and slammed his knee into the swordsman's gut.

The blow knocked the wind out of Kisame's lungs and caused him to drop the Sharkskin sword. With Kisame hunched over and gasping for breath, Naruto raised his hand. Wind whirled around his fist in a cyclone. The blue-eyed Innkeeper slammed his hand into Kisame's neck. The vicious wind tore through the former Mist ninja's rough skin, severing his head from his shoulders.

Naruto dropped the corpse and turned to face Itachi. The Uchiha's eyes morphed into a black pinwheel. "Mangekyou Sharingan: Tsukoyo-" Itachi's proclamation turned in a scream of pain as Naruto appeared in front of him and slammed two fingers directly into Itachi's eye sockets, burying them all the way to the knuckle.

Naruto grabbed Itachi's neck and lifted him by the throat. He leaned in close to the Uchiha's ear. "Next time, have the decency to come in person." A sickening crack sounded out as Naruto snapped Itachi's spine.

As he dropped the body to the ground, four clones of Naruto appeared next to him. "Clean up this mess." He commanded. The clones nodded and vanished, taking the bodies with them.

Naruto turned to see Asuma, Kurenai, and Gai all crouched in battle ready positions. The Jinchuuriki arched an eyebrow. "Is there a problem here?"

"I want to know what's going on, right now!" Asuma demanded. "I don't care if you're the greatest prodigy who ever lived, no thirteen year old without any ninja experience could kill an S-ranked missing ninja, much less two."

Naruto glanced at Sakura and Sasuke, the Leaf Jonin got the distinct impression that a conversation was being carried on in silence between the three. After a moment, Sasuke and Sakura both nodded, though they seemed reluctant. Naruto heaved a sigh and spoke. "You're absolutely right, Asuma. An ordinary thirteen year old ninja couldn't do what I just did. What you need to understand though, is that I am far from ordinary and nowhere near thirteen years old. In fact, I'm actually far older than you."

"What?"

Naruto sighed again. "This will take a long time to explain. Why don't we retire to our room?"

"Why should we trust you?"

"Asuma, when I was a child you were often assigned to protect me. You took your job very seriously and I never felt safer then when I was under your protection. I know it was you under that eagle mask. For the sake of the nights you spent defending me from harm, please trust me."

Asuma bit his lip, clearly warring with himself over what to do. He finally heaved a sigh and lowered his fists. "Fine, we'll listen. But if you try anything that threatens us or our students, then all bets are off."

"I'd expect nothing less." Naruto said with a nod.

The twelve Leaf ninja and their three enigmatic hosts soon found themselves in a spacious living area on the top floor of the inn, seated in cushy couches. "This is our private apartment." Sasuke said as he set down a tray of drinks. "We have privacy seals set up throughout. No one will hear us here." The Uchiha plopped himself down on a couch across from the Leaf contingent, and next to Naruto and Sakura.

Naruto decided to get the ball rolling. "Are you aware that in one month's time, the Chunin exams will be coming to the Leaf village?" The Jonin nodded while the genin looked confused. "During the third part of the exam, the village will be invaded by a joint attack between the village Hidden in the Sand and the village Hidden in the Sound."

The Leaf ninja were shocked. "But we're allies with Sand." Kurenai protested.

"Recent legislation passed by the Daimyo has caused a lion's share of Sand's missions to go to the Leaf instead. As such, Sand's income has drastically decreased and their economy is suffering. They're getting desperate and looking for a solution. The leader of the Sound village is willing to offer them one." Sakura said.

Gai furrowed his brow. "I've heard of a new village going by the name of Sound popping up in Rice country, but information on them is difficult to acquire. Do you know who this leader is and why they want to attack our village?"

Sasuke nodded. "I can answer both with a single word. Orochimaru." The three Jonin shuddered at the name, well aware of the Sannin's near legendary capabilities. If he was leading a charge against the Leaf, then they would need to be prepared for the worst.

"You know all this for a fact?" Asuma demanded. Naruto nodded. "Damn! Dad was planning on splitting the mission and monetary income with Sand to better our relationship after the Chunin exams, but I guess it's too late, especially if that snake is involved."

"How do you know this?" Kurenai asked.

"We'll get to that." Naruto promised. "Now this next part is where our tale gets… interesting. I ask that you let me talk and save your questions." Once everyone nodded, he continued. "During the Invasion, Sakura was looking for Sasuke and accidentally walked into a group of enemy ninja who were about to perform a collective summoning jutsu to summon a 3 headed snake to attack the Leaf. After barely defeating Gaara, The Jinchuuriki of the One Tail, I was charged with the Kyuubi's power. Sensing that Sakura was in trouble I quickly tracked her down. Sasuke felt my power and utilized a Curse Seal placed on him by Orochimaru, similar to the one on Anko, to catch up with us."

A cynical smirk crossed Naruto's face. "Here's where things get complicated. Itachi was also in the village. He was using the chaos to find Sasuke and test his hatred. He entered the clearing and used Tsukuyomi, a time distortion jutsu, to torture Sasuke for three days in the space of a few seconds, hoping to increase Sasuke's hatred of him."

"While under the effects of this jutsu, Sasuke thrashed around in pain and accidentally knocked all three of us into the summon circle. That's when it all went to hell. The Kyuubi's chakra altered a few key points on the seal, causing it to reverse. Instead of summoning something into the circle, it banished anything within the circle. Sasuke's Curse Seal was designed to receive a soul, specifically Orochimaru's, but any soul would do really. The Kyuubi's chakra mixed with that as well, forming a sort of conduit between the summoning and Curse seals, combining them. Instead of sending physical matter, it became a seal to banish souls."

Naruto heaved a sigh. "When the ninja, who were under threat of death to complete the summoning no matter what, activated the seal, we should have died. However, luck was on our side, because we had Sakura with us. You all may not know this, but Sakura has an inner personality in her head. This isn't a mental disorder, it's part of a rare ability she possesses. Sakura has a very large and very strong soul. If her soul comes in contact with another, she can act as a sort of hub for the other soul. As such, if she is ever exposed to another person's soul, she snatches it up and keeps it alive."

Sakura suddenly spoke up. "It's incredibly useful for saving a person's life with medical jutsu. If someone's body dies, their soul departs from it. With my ability, I'm able to temporarily house the soul while focusing on healing and restarting the body. Once the body is able to sustain itself, I can dump the soul back inside."

Naruto gave Sakura a nod of acknowledgement and continued. "Sasuke and I got caught by Sakura's soul when we were expelled from our bodies. With Sakura acting as the hub and a massive amount of the Kyuubi's chakra getting pulled along for the ride, we managed to keep each other 'alive.' The final piece to an already complicated puzzle was the Tsukuyomi. At the time, Itachi was using it to make Sasuke repeat the same painful memories over and over again."

Naruto held up his hand and began ticking off fingers. "The altered Summoning seal, the altered Curse seal, Sakura's Soul Trap, the time distorting Tsukuyomi, the Kyuubi's chakra, and three scared kids who didn't want to die. These factors all mixed together to create the situation we're currently in. When the seal activated, Sasuke, Sakura, and I found ourselves waking up on the day of the team placements."

Asuma was horrified. "Are you saying that…?"

"Yes, we traveled through time. To the single point where our three lives became intertwined with one another; the day we became teammates.

"If this is true," Kurenai began slowly. "Then it still doesn't explain why you opened an inn of all things and how you defeated two S-class missing ninja."

Naruto nodded. "Very true, but the story isn't over yet. Not by a long shot. First, let's answer the question of how I beat Itachi and Kisame so easily." Naruto suddenly snapped his fingers snapped his fingers. A body in a black cloak with red clouds appeared before them. "This is the body of Itachi after I killed him." Though they could only see his face, the Leaf ninja could tell immediately that this wasn't Itachi Uchiha.

"Transformation?" Kurenai theorized.

"Avatarism." Naruto corrected. "In a nut shell, members of Akatsuki can implant their minds and abilities onto another's body. This allows them to scout dangerous areas and fight without personal risk. The downside is that the Avatars are only about one third as strong as the actual controller. If this had been the _real_ Itachi and Kisame, that fight wouldn't have gone nearly as well."

Naruto snapped his fingers, causing the body to vanish. "Now then, as for how we're so strong. We did indeed travel through time, but I never said we only did it once. The 'loops' as we call them, are permanently tied to our souls. As long as we stay alive, we continue through time normally. But if we die, for whatever reason, our souls are snapped back to the Team Selections, no matter what."

The gravity of the situation began to sink in. "Good God." Gai whispered. "How long have you all been doing this?"

Naruto gave a humorless chuckle. "We lost count of the decades a long time ago. Let's just say that Sasuke, Sakura and I have lived longer than any human being has a right to. That's why we opened this inn. Sometimes we need to take a step back and engage in some healthy stress relief."

"If you have all this time and information, then why aren't you in trying to save the village from the invasion?" Asuma asked.

Sasuke suddenly groaned. "For God's sake, we have! We've saved the village more times then there are leaves on a tree. We've each been declared heroes and have each even become Hokage. Hell, we've even been the Kages of all the other villages as well. Maybe for once we just want to kick back and let the Leaf save itself for once."

Naruto cleared his throat. "Let me clarify something; there is no end to these loops. No matter what we do, we will always wake up on the day of team selections eventually. We can unite the entire elemental nations under one flag and die at the age of one hundred and thirty after over a century of peace and we'll still wake up on team selections. We've analyzed every factor, tried every possibility, and done all the research we can on the event that got us here and how to get out. The simple answer is that there is no way out. There is no perfect loop or ultimate goal that will cause this to end. We're going to keep doing this forever. From now until the end of time. This is our life now."

Kurenai suddenly had a horrific thought. "If you want to keep running this inn peacefully, then why tell us this? You must know that we will report all this to the Hokage."

Naruto gave a sad smile. "Because you won't remember any of this. We just needed to distract you long enough for the immobilization seals on the couch to take effect." The Leaf ninja were horrified to discover that they couldn't move. "This trick takes a while to use and we needed to make sure you all couldn't evade. In our experience, telling the truth about our situation is a great way to distract people. Sorry about this, but it's nothing personal. Sasuke, do it."

Sasuke closed his eyes for a moment before opening them, revealing the Mangekyou Sharingan spinning in his eyes. "Sleep." He whispered.

Scene Break

"Ino, wake up."

"Huh?" Ino found herself lying on the ground in her sleeping bag with Shikamaru leaning over her.

"We're packing up camp and heading home." The Nara said.

"Okay." Ino quickly packed up her things and joined the others as they headed down the road.

None of the Leaf ninja felt the three pairs of eyes watching them from the shadows.

"For the sake of the nights you spent defending me from harm, please trust me." Sasuke quoted. "How do you sleep at night?"

Naruto snorted. "Yeah, because lying to a Jonin is the worst thing any of us have ever done." They were silent for a moment.

"What do we do now?" Sakura finally asked.

"We wait." Naruto replied. "Orochimaru is sure to come looking for Sasuke here eventually. He'll be expecting three ninja drop outs, not experienced combat veterans. It should be easy to get the drop on him. Once we take care of him, the Invasion will fall apart without his leadership. Because of how easily we beat the Avatars, Akatsuki will send the Immortality Twins after us next. Whether they're Avatars or not, once we kill them Akatsuki will be too nervous to attack us until the last moment. They'll gather up the other Bijuu and once all eight are captured, they'll come here. Then it's a simple matter of destroying the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path and removing the Bijuu from this world, and finishing off the remaining members."

"So we're just leaving the other Jinchuuriki to die then?" Sakura asked.

Naruto sighed. "It happens. Tell you what; we'll make it up to them next time by getting the Jinchuuriki Humanity Law passed next go round."

Sasuke groaned. "Great, that means I have to impress Kakashi enough to convince him to take me on as his apprentice during the bell test."

"Then getting in good with the elders so they put you on the fast track to becoming Hokage." Sakura continued.

"Then getting inside the barrier put up by the Sound Four so you can simultaneously save the Old Man, and prove your loyalty to the Leaf by resisting Orochimaru's offer for power." Naruto added.

"The Third Hokage will decide he needs to retire and will put me in the chair with him as my main advisor."

"Once he's confident enough you can handle it, he'll formally appoint you." Sakura said.

Naruto picked up. "Your first act will be to make Jinchuuriki wards of the Hokage and ensure that they are granted all the rights of a citizen and have special loop holes in place to make it impossible for someone to mistreat a Jinchuuriki."

"Sand, desperate to make up for the Invasion, will quickly pick up the Law as well." Sasuke sighed.

"Mist will be interested in an alliance so they put the law into place as well." Sakura interjected.

"Cloud, who actually treat their Jinchuuriki fairly well, will pass the Law out of principle, leaving Rock forced to pass it due to political pressure." Naruto smirked.

"With all five Villages doing it, it will quickly become a national law, and Akatsuki won't be able to make a move without the entire Elemental Nations coming after their heads." Sasuke finished.

Sakura laughed. "We really got this down to an exact science, don't we?"

Naruto shrugged. "It comes with experience. Now come on, we have other clients to attend to."

Nodding in agreement, the three time-travelers vanished into the trees.

End

A/N: This is just a quick overview of what I plan to do with this story. First of all, this isn't a story with a real overarching plot. Any conflict will be shown and most likely resolved in the same chapter. I'm using the Groundhog Day Time Loop trope, one of my all-time favorite premises, as a framing device to put Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura in any kind of situation I want. The loops won't be in any particular order either; some might be early in the looping process while others might be much later. As I said, I'm using the loops as a way of connecting all my random story ideas into a single story.


	2. Looping Reflection

A/N: As I said in the last chapter, these stories will occur randomly throughout the various loops. For reference, this one takes place before the first chapter.

Chapter Two

Naruto wiped the sweat from his brow as he sat back in the sand. He grabbed the canteen next to him and drank deeply from it. With a satisfied gasp, Naruto pulled the canteen away and wiped away a small bit of water from the corner of his mouth. He was currently in The Village Hidden in the Sand, or more specifically, he was just outside of it in one of the various training grounds.

In an effort to improve their elemental affinities, as well as add to their jutsu arsenal, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke decided to split up and join the villages that suited their element. Since Leaf primarily specialized in fire jutsu, they had to look elsewhere for proper techniques. Naruto was in Sand to learn wind techniques, Sasuke was in Cloud to acquire new lighting jutsu, and Sakura was in Stone to practice her earth styles.

It was actually easier to get out of the Leaf village and into the others than it should have been. Team 7 simply used Shadow Clones to fake their own deaths and they could leave the village without getting marked as missing ninja. From there, they used Naruto's special shape shift to fool the other villages into thinking they were homeless vagabonds who learned how to use chakra from they're dear departed mother or some other form of believable, but impossible to confirm story, and they were in.

Okay, it wasn't _that_ easy. Convincing an entire ninja village that they were dead when they actually weren't required a lot of careful planning and execution. If even a single detail was out of place, the ruse could be discovered.

Getting into the other villages is even harder. While the Shape shift will stand up to any and all forms of scrutiny, they don't just let every random person who walks into their gates to become a ninja and learn their secrets. It takes months or even years' worth of being questioned, observed, and tested before they even let you officially become a citizen, much less a ninja.

That was all right though, if there was one thing Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke had learned from these loops, it was how to be patient.

Naruto actually had the easiest end of the deal, since Sand was closest to Leaf and the two villages were allied. Sakura and Sasuke on the other hand, had to go deep into hostile territory. Even one wrong move could see them put in an interrogation cell or execution block. Still, Naruto was sure that his two friends would be fine; they were built tough, after all.

The blonde Jinchuuriki sighed as he dropped his canteen. He missed his friends. It had been nearly three years since he last saw them while participating in the Chunin exams held in the village Hidden in the Mist. It wasn't like they spent every second of every day together, but Naruto still grew lonely without his friends.

Naruto smiled at that thought: _his_ friends. Naruto wasn't willing to admit it, but despite how he acted before the loops began, Naruto doubted that Sakura and Sasuke considered him a friend. He most certainly considered them friends, but with Sakura's physical and verbal abuse, along with Sasuke's cold indifference, it was hard to feel like a part of the group. Because of the loops, Naruto found himself closer to Sasuke and Sakura than he ever could have imagined possible and that was something he will always be thankful for.

Despite himself, Naruto can't help but wonder; what would he have been like, if he had entered the loops alone?

Naruto doesn't doubt for a second that he would be completely different from the man he currently was, but in what ways? Without his friend's caring and support, how would the loops have taken their toll on his mind?

If there's one thing Naruto knows about himself, it's that he will never give up on something he believes is right, no matter what. Naruto is mature enough now to understand that that is exactly what makes him dangerous. The problem with extremes is that it's disturbingly easy to flip from one to the other. The most righteous heroes become the most depraved villains. The greatest joy becomes the deepest sorrow. The purest love becomes the most the vicious hatred.

Sasuke could personally attest to that. Itachi was the epitome of everything Sasuke wanted to be as a child. He was strong, calm, caring, and Sasuke loved him the most. When Itachi slaughtered his family, all the love Sasuke felt for Itachi quickly became hatred. So much so that it very nearly consumed him.

Naruto's incredible drive to succeed may seem like a positive trait, but it could just as easily become his worst feature. Naruto knows he had a rough childhood, suffering from loneliness and emotional abuse from nearly everyone around him. It wouldn't have been hard for Naruto to grow to hate the village that had caused him so much pain. Even Sakura and Sasuke agree that, had Naruto vowed to destroy the village instead of becoming Hokage, then Leaf would have been burned to the ground.

It was only thanks to the Third Hokage that Naruto didn't turn into a sociopath. Sarutobi was very nearly the only person who truly cared for Naruto before the loops, besides the people working at Ichiraku Ramen and, of course, Iruka. Naturally, Naruto came to idolize the man and everything he stood for, wanting to grow up to be just like him, hence his obsession with becoming the Hokage.

Sarutobi spent many hours telling stories to Naruto about the Leaf village, and how much he loved it. He unwittingly painted the village in the best possible light, since that was truly how he viewed it, faults and all, and quite possibly saved it from a second coming of the Kyuubi.

Thanks to the Third Hokage's stories, Naruto was able to look past how the village treated him, and look at it as a whole. He was able to see the many happy citizens who lived content within the Leaf's walls, and Naruto vowed to one day be a part of that. By becoming the Hokage and gaining everyone's respect.

Naruto's respect for the Hokage would never falter, or at least, that's what Naruto had thought. Not long after the loops began, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura tried to break into the Hokage's vault to get at his jutsu collection. Unfortunately, they were caught by an ANBU guard who held a particular hatred for Naruto after losing his daughter in the Kyuubi attack. The ANBU ignored Sasuke and Sakura, and instead dragged Naruto out in front of the entire village and loudly proclaimed that the blonde was trying to steal the village's secrets. To be fair to the ANBU, that was exactly what Naruto had been doing at the time.

The crowd quickly turned ugly and began demanding that Naruto pay for his crimes against the village, something the ANBU was only too happy to provide. Before blood could be spilled, the Third Hokage quickly arrived with his loyal ANBU and interrupted the proceeding. Despite arresting the overzealous, but justified ANBU, the village was still calling for blood. Not seeing another way that Naruto could escape unscathed, Sarutobi was forced revealed who Naruto's father was, and why he was chosen to hold the Nine-tails. Sarutobi hoped to mollify the crowd with the bombshell of Naruto's heritage so he could get Naruto away and get the real story out of him.

Learning that their hero, the Fourth Hokage, had chosen his own son to bear the burden of a Jinchuuriki, the village quickly calmed down. Most were simply too shocked to remain angry, instead attempting to wrap their brain around this sudden reveal. All but one, that is. Naruto was devastated by this news. Since he first learned to talk, Naruto had asked the Third Hokage about his parents. Every single time, without fail, Sarutobi would say he had no information about Naruto's parents. Not only did he refuse to tell Naruto the truth, but also he refused to even give Naruto a bit of comfort. All Naruto wanted to know was if his parents loved him, something Sarutobi could have told him, without revealing their identity.

As Sarutobi stood before the crowd explaining the situation, Naruto did something he would never be able to forgive himself for. He attacked Sarutobi, charged with the Kyuubi's power, and very nearly killed him.

It's important to remember one thing about the Kyuubi's influence on Naruto; its influence, not control. Kyuubi can whisper dark thoughts in Naruto's head, or charge the blonde with demon chakra when he's enraged, but the demon can't actually control Naruto. That's why Naruto is so ashamed of his actions that day, no matter how much influence the Kyuubi might have had over him; it didn't change the fact that Naruto was still in control. At that moment, the Third Hokage ceased to be the grandfather figure Naruto always regarded him as, and was instead a man who lied Naruto's entire life to keep him from any knowledge about his family. For all the bloodlust and thoughts of evil the Kyuubi filtered into Naruto, the fact remains that, in that instant, Naruto truly wanted to kill Sarutobi.

The only reason Sarutobi didn't die that day, was because of Sasuke and Sakura. Naruto, now covered in what he would later call The Demon Nine-Tailed Cloak, managed to deliver a nasty slash across The Third Hokage's chest. Before he could make the kill however, his teammates intervened. Sasuke and Sakura, who at that point were still nowhere near ready to take on Naruto while wearing the Cloak, latched onto their teammate, desperately trying to hold him in place.

To this day, Naruto still remembers the words his teammates said to him.

"Please, Naruto! You have to stop!" Sakura screamed. "I know you're angry, you have every right to be, but you're better than this!" The corrosive chakra of the Kyuubi was beginning to eat away at her skin, but she refused to let go of Naruto

Sasuke nodded his agreement. "Naruto, I've hunted for revenge for such a long time. When Itachi killed my family, I let my desire for revenge consume me and I lost sight of everything else. That's what I've always admired about you, Naruto. You've never given into revenge, even though you have far more reason to than I have. I've never admitted it, but I always thought you were so much stronger than me because of that. Please don't make the same mistake I did, don't let revenge consume you, nothing good can come from it."

Reason slowly returned to Naruto as Sasuke's words sunk in, Sakura pressed on. "No matter how bad things have gotten, you've always been there for us. You've made us laugh when we're depressed, motivated us when the situation seems hopeless, and you've never allowed us to give up. Please Naruto, we need you, and I can't stand seeing you like this!"

The red chakra faded as Naruto collapsed into his friend's arms. He raised his head to speak. "Guys, I-"

Whatever Naruto was going to say was silenced by a poisoned sword plunging through his neck, killing him instantly. To attack the Hokage is high treason, and the perpetrator is to be executed immediately, no exceptions. Sasuke and Sakura were quickly executed as well when they tried to retaliate.

Naruto had awoken on the day of Team selections to find Sasuke and Sakura at his door. The three immediately embraced and simply took comfort in each other's presence. They missed team selections, but they didn't care. No words were spoken and none were needed. It was just enough to know that they were there for each other, and that they always would be.

For Naruto, he knew that he wouldn't have been able to get through the loops without Sasuke and Sakura helping him. He doesn't know what he would have been like if he was alone and hopefully he'll never have to. His iron will could have led to him vowing to destroy the Leaf Village or even the Elemental Nations as a whole. Instead, Naruto vowed to defend his homeland, from Orochimaru, from Akatsuki, From Madara, and especially from the Juubi, though that was still many, many years away.

For now, Naruto had a job to do; practicing his wind jutsu so he was prepared to put his name forward for promotion to Jonin. After all, it wouldn't do to get left behind by Sakura and Sasuke, would it?

Scene Break

Sakura breathed very slowly as she concentrated. She was deep underground, among the many tunnels that ran beneath The Village Hidden in Stone. The tunnels ran deep and far, allowing the Stone ninja to easily traverse through the large mountain ranges that surrounded the village. Assuming that they could memorize which paths weren't dead ends or filled with traps, that is. The entire set up was a maze and Sakura still only knew the basic safe routes to take, though that would change once she became a Jonin.

Sakura was situated in a small alcove that was just barely big enough for her to sit in. She was just finishing a training exercise. Directly in front of her was a long tunnel, another Stone ninja was in a similar alcove at the other end. A large stone boulder was situated between the two of them. The two ninja would take turns to control the boulder and make it roll towards one another. The purpose of the exercise is to practice with power and control at once. It takes power to roll the stone, but without the right control, you could push it too far and hurt your training partner. Stopping the boulder took control, but without the right amount of power, it would crush you.

This was quite possibly Sakura's favorite training exercise. It focused on chakra control, her specialty, while simultaneously working to increase her chakra reserves and her Earth affinity. She actually preferred practicing with less experienced ninja so she had to work extra hard to stop and move the boulder.

After stopping the boulder in the center of the tunnel, Sakura wiped the sweat from her forehead and pulled herself up through a hole out of the alcove and into the main tunnels. She gave a nod of thanks to her partner before heading off to her apartment to shower and change.

As she exited the tunnels, the full glory of the Village Hidden in the Stone stood before her. Sakura had to admit, she loved this place. The large stone towers seemed cold and menacing at first, and the dreary climate sure didn't help. Yet, there was some real character to the various buildings. Maybe because she was aligned with the earth, but Sakura could see the effort and craftsmanship that had to have gone into each structure. Plus, there was just something about being surrounded by mountains and away from the world that made Sakura feel at home. She would have to talk to Naruto and Sasuke about moving here for a loop or two.

Thinking of her friends brought down Sakura's good mood somewhat. She missed her boys. Sakura may have made a friend or two since entering Stone, but it didn't make up for the absence of the only two people whom Sakura felt truly comfortable with. She hoped that the two were keeping out of trouble. Sasuke had an uncanny ability to piss people off without saying much and trouble seemed to track down Naruto like a devoted puppy.

Still, if nothing else, Sakura could at least take comfort in the fact they were both still alive. She knew this for a fact, because if either Naruto or Sasuke died, she would die as well. While looking through any and all jutsu that had to do with time travel or souls, Sakura had discovered a technique that could bind people's lives to one another. It literally makes it so that one person can't live without the other, if one dies, the other quickly follows. It was originally used for weddings in ancient culture, to literally bind two lives together so that the spouses wouldn't have to face life without one another. It fell out of practice after the First Great Ninja War, when it nearly doubled the amounts of deaths due to the binding.

Sakura had originally intended to throw the scroll away, but when she told Sasuke what it did, he had insisted that the three of them bind themselves to one another. Sakura and Naruto had been hesitant, but Sasuke remained firm. He said that they were all in this mess together, and they shouldn't ever be alone in the loops.

Sakura and Naruto eventually gave in due to what happened to Sasuke. It had been some time ago. Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura had been in some hotel in a random village after escorting a traveling trading caravan. They were intending to leave the next morning so decided to turn in early. It all went to hell when someone knocked on the door. Sakura really doesn't remember what happened next, it all went to fast. All she remembers was Naruto lying in a bloody heap on the floor, Sasuke pinned to the wall by knives, and a pair of cold, red, Sharingan eyes staring into her soul as her throat was slit.

When Sakura and Naruto woke up at the start of a new loop, it took them all day to track down Sasuke. When they found him in an underground room in the Uchiha compound, they both knew something was wrong. Sasuke latched onto them and desperately cried, refusing to let either of them go.

To this day, Sakura and Naruto haven't learned how long Sasuke lived on his own after watching his brother kill them. They don't know what he did or what happened to him. All Sakura knows is that Sasuke was so broken when they found him. It took a long time to put Sasuke back to together and even now the scars still ran deep.

While Sakura believes that talking about it would help, a part of her doesn't want to know. She doesn't want to know what Sasuke could have gone through to cause him so much pain. All she can do is try to be there for him and hope for the best. Respect, honesty, patience, faith, and love. Sakura prayed that if she and Naruto provided Sasuke with enough of all five, then everything would work out in the end.

Even though it was clearly much longer for Sasuke, from her perspective it was only a few hours, so the sudden shift had jarring to say the least. Seeing Sasuke so different from what she had grown accustomed and the fear that the same thing could happen again, made Sakura agree to bind their souls together.

The bond could be inconvenient on occasion, but it gave Sasuke a measure of comfort, so Naruto and Sakura didn't grudge it. Truth be told, Sakura is actually glad that she'll never have to experience what Sasuke did. Thinking about the soul bond always made Sakura wonder; what would she have been like if she had entered the loops alone?

Sakura has a pretty good idea of how she would have acted. She would have cried and screamed and pushed all her problems onto someone else. She would have taken out her frustration on Naruto and waited for Sasuke to save her. When it became apparent that he wouldn't be able to do anything, Sakura imagines she would have gone insane.

Sakura is certain that if she were ever somehow meet her pre-looping self, the two of them wouldn't have gotten along. The most painful lesson these loops had taught Sakura was that there's nothing wrong with relying on your friends, but sometimes you have to stand up and be strong on your own.

Sakura remembers the day she made the conscious decision to stop letting Naruto and Sasuke carry her. It was still very early in the loops, when they didn't know what they were doing and were desperate for a solution. Naruto and Sasuke had been arguing while Sakura just sat there, unwilling to interject.

"No, Sasuke." Naruto had growled. "You've had some bad ideas before, but this takes the cake."

"Think about it, Naruto. Use that space between your ears. We don't have any idea what we're doing or how we got into this mess. He is sure to have an entire catacomb worth of jutsu and information that we could use to our advantage." Sasuke argued.

"The guy is batshit insane! Instead of heading for the hills, you want to throw yourself into his clutches, and you say I'm the stupid one?" Naruto demanded.

"Orochimaru is the Snake Sannin." Sasuke retorted, trying to keep his calm. "He is considered one of the greatest ninja to ever live and he wants to train me. This is a golden opportunity, can't you see that?"

"So what? You're just going to betray the Leaf and go running off with its greatest traitor?" Naruto was starting to scream.

"It will be back to normal after the reset." Sasuke's voice was rising as well. "I can learn as much as possible, then be back in the Leaf without any consequence."

Naruto wasn't having it. "He betrayed our village and led an invasion against it!" Sasuke opened his mouth to retort, but Naruto cut him off. "He killed my Grandfather!"

Sasuke bit his lip and looked away. The death of the Third Hokage had been a harsh blow to everyone in the village, but it was clear that Naruto took it the worst. Even with the benefit of having him back after the resets, that didn't make attending his funeral over and over again any less painful. If there's one thing Sasuke could understand, it's having your loved ones torn away from you.

"We can use this against him, Naruto." Sasuke said quietly, his previous anger forgotten. "I can learn his secrets and techniques. I'll learn how to take him down and we'll save the Third Hokage once these loops end."

Sakura had been sidelined through all this. While she didn't want Sasuke to leave her, she was still too infatuated with him to go against his decision. She still remembers thinking, back when they thought the loops could end, that Sasuke would eventually find a way out for all of them. How naïve.

Naruto wasn't done yet. "What about that possession jutsu of his? You understand that he only wants you so he can take control of your body?"

"Of course I understand that, but even if he succeeds, the loops will-"

"You don't know that!" Naruto cut him off. "We don't know how much these loops can reverse. For all we know, Orochimaru's soul taking over your body might erase you completely and put Orochimaru in these loops. What if we wake up on team selections and it's not you inside your own head, but that Snake Freak?"

Sakura and Sasuke both shuddered. The mere thought of what Orochimaru could do with these loops was terrifying. Despite this, Sasuke wouldn't back down. "It's a risk we have to take. I…I need this, Naruto."

Naruto's eyes had actually flashed red for a moment. "You need what? Power? So you can go kill your brother?" Sasuke nodded weakly. "Have you ever stopped to realize how psychotic you sound when you talk about killing your own flesh and blood?"

"He killed my family!" Sasuke shouted. Naruto was unimpressed.

"And now you're off to do the same damn thing. We can turn it into an Uchiha family tradition. Hey, here's an idea! When you have some kids, you can give them little dolls that look like you to set on fire so they're ready to keep the tradition alive by murdering you in your sleep. Make sure you hit them with that twisted eye torture technique your brother loves every once in a while. You know, to keep them on their toes."

Sasuke and Sakura had been too shocked to respond. Naruto wasn't even close to finished. "You say you're doing your duty as an 'avenger.'" Naruto spat out the word like it tasted bad. "But according to you, your brother _told_ you hunt him down and kill him. So to stick it to your brother, you're going to do exactly what he told you to do? You say that's what you're clan would want, but it sounds a hell of a lot like you're doing exactly what your brother wants."

Sasuke recoiled as if slapped and sat down, staring at the floor. Naruto gave a frustrated sigh. "Going to Orochimaru is out of the question. I already lost someone I care about because of that maniac, I'm not losing another." With that, Naruto stormed out of the room.

Sakura stood slowly, not really sure what to say or do. Unable to stand seeing Sasuke so downtrodden, but not knowing what she could possibly say, Sakura did the best she could.

"I'm really sorry, Sasuke." Was all she managed before hurrying out of the room. She left so quickly that she almost didn't hear Sasuke's response.

"I'm sorry too, Sakura." He whispered.

The next day, Sakura and Naruto learned from Tsunade that Sasuke had left the village in the middle of the night.

Sakura had never seen Naruto so angry before, and it was the first time she felt legitimately afraid of him. His eyes had turned red, his nails and teeth sharpened to points, his whiskers darkened, and he actually started growling. These changes were fortunately brief as Naruto quickly got a hold of himself.

"I'm going after him." Naruto declared.

"No, Naruto. We have reason to believe that Sasuke is traveling with Orochimaru's elite Sound Four. We don't have any ninja strong enough to face them on standby. We can't afford to go after him." Tsunade said.

"Apparently I didn't make myself clear, _Lady Hokage_." Naruto growled. "I'm going after Sasuke. If you want to send back up with me, that's fine, but I'm going after Sasuke." The blonde turned on his heel and strode out the door.

"Naruto! If you leave then I'm going to have you suspended from you ninja duties." Tsunade threatened. It was hard to say who had been more shocked, Tsunade or Sakura, when Naruto's headband was carelessly tossed back into the Hokage's office. For a moment, the two of them had just stared down at the headband, unable to believe how far Naruto was willing to go.

"Naruto, wait!" Tsunade shouted, but Naruto had already run off. "Damn that brat! Shizune, get a team together. Naruto is going to get himself killed if he goes off alone."

Once again Sakura felt herself being sidelined. Naruto had never even entertained the idea of her coming along. Sasuke was her teammate too, dammit! Yet, she knew that she would only be a hindrance along the mission. Sakura hated this feeling, the feeling of being weak and helpless. What happened to the strength and resolve she felt when she sliced off her own hair and went toe to toe with the Sound ninja? Was her vow that day really just a meaningless bunch of words?

The time that followed as she waited for the Naruto to return were harrowing to Sakura. She very nearly ended up working a groove into the floor from her constant pacing in the Hokage Tower. When news of the recovery team's success reached Sakura, she tore off like mad towards the hospital to see her teammates.

Sakura had found Sasuke's room first. She opened the door, intending to play the understanding friend to a no doubt frustrated Sasuke, only to freeze when she laid eyes on him. Sasuke was covered in bandages, his right arm looked like it had been flash fried and he was being kept knocked out to better heal his injuries.

Staring at her crush, Sakura had felt anger build up inside of her. 'Naruto did this.' She thought as she left the room. 'He was jealous of Sasuke trying to actually get stronger to find a way out of these loops. That's why he didn't want Sasuke to leave. So he hunted him down and beat him within an inch of his life.' Sakura's mind quickly spiraled into a hate fest as she mentally cursed Naruto for daring to hurt Sasuke. 'That bastard, I'll show him.'

The enraged Kunoichi stormed towards Naruto's room, intending to yell and scream at Naruto for hurting her crush. Once she found his room, Sakura slammed open the door, and opened her mouth to scream, only for her anger to die in her throat.

If Sasuke looked like he'd been beaten within an inch of his life, Naruto looked like he'd been sent flying straight over the edge only to barely get knocked back into life. Sakura had never seen so many injuries on a single person before. There were bandages everywhere, most of which were red with blood, both his arms were in slings, his legs looked like dogs had spent the better part of an hour chewing on them, and there were entire seal arrays over Naruto's chest that looked like a hole had been blown through it.

Even worse was the fact that despite his ludicrous amount of injuries, he was still awake. Naruto gave Sakura a weak smile. "H-Hey, Sakura. I brought Sasuke back." Just the act of talking looked like it was causing him incredible pain.

Sakura fell to her knees beside Naruto's bed, desperately wanting to hug the poor boy, but afraid she might injure him further. "Oh, Naruto. What happened to you?"

Naruto's expression darkened. "Sasuke happened."

Sakura was horrified. "Sasuke? He did this to you?"

Naruto nodded. "Those Sound freaks did something to him. They put him in a barrel to; as they put it, 'finish the process.' Whatever it was, it powered up Sasuke's Curse Seal. It's starting to do more than just influence his mind, now it's able to actually physically alter him." Naruto paused for a moment to look out the window. "He seriously tried to kill me, Sakura."

Sakura's mind raced as the she tried to process this information. 'Sasuke tried to kill Naruto. Naruto nearly killed Sasuke. It was self-defense. Why would Sasuke do such a thing? The Curse Seal has tainted his mind; it's not his fault. This just proves Naruto was right; if Sasuke can't handle the curse seal, he'll never be able to resist Orochimaru. Sasuke was just doing what he thought was right. So was Naruto. Naruto would never have resorted to trying to kill his friends.'

"Naruto." Sakura said slowly. "Thank you." She leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Despite himself, Naruto blushed slightly.

"Eh, what was that for, Sakura?"

"Just for being you. Excuse me, Naruto but I need some room to think." Sakura got to her feet and left the room. She wandered the halls, her emotions a whirlwind inside her.

Sakura so wanted to believe that Naruto was lying, but he was one of the most honest individuals she knew. Not to mention the fact that it was clear who had taken the worse beating during the fight. Sakura didn't know what to do. If the Curse Seal could truly influence Sasuke so severely, then they needed to figure out a way to remove it or, ideally, stop Sasuke from getting it at all. Until that was possible however, Sasuke would have to be contained.

It seemed Naruto could stop Sasuke in a fight, but only barely. What if next time, Sasuke comes out ahead? Would he really kill Naruto? Naruto needs help in stopping Sasuke from losing control, and Sakura realized she was the only one who could help him.

'But I don't want to have to hurt Sasuke.' Sakura moaned to herself.

'Screw you!' A separate voice suddenly shouted in her head. 'This isn't about you or what you want. This is about Naruto and Sasuke.' Inner Sakura raged. 'Naruto needs you to be strong so he doesn't have constantly worry about you, like when he fought Gaara.' Sakura winced at the reminder of being pinned to a tree and nearly crushed to death.

Inner Sakura wasn't done yet. 'Sasuke needs you to be strong, so the moron doesn't go off the deep end and kill the people he's supposed to care about. You need to be strong because the two of them need you to be.'

'But-but I don't know what to do to be strong!" Sakura wailed.

Inner Sakura's voice softened. 'You already made the first step in the Forest of Death, remember? You vowed to become strong and not let Naruto and Sasuke worry about you, now you just need to make good on that promise. Forget about attracting boys, looking good, and just trying to float by in life. Those days of childhood joy went out the window when you put on that headband. It's time to start training for real.'

Sakura nodded her head as she felt the familiar resolve that had filled her during the second exam. She was a Ninja of the Leaf. It was time to start acting like one.

'That's my girl." Inner Sakura cheered, before her voice turned cruel. 'But first, let's go and show Sasuke what happens when you hurt people we care about.' Her mind made up made, Sakura headed back towards Sasuke's room.

Once she was sure no one was around, Sakura cut off the flow of the drug that was keeping Sasuke asleep. Sakura waited as he slowly came to his senses.

"Sakura?" He asked groggily.

"Sasuke, are you awake?" She snapped her fingers in front of his face a few time to gain his focus.

"Yeah, I'm awake. Where are we? What happened to-"

**WHAM!**

Once she was certain Sasuke was alert, Sakura nailed him across the face with a right hook.

"OW! What the Hell was that for?" Sakura grabbed Sasuke's shirt and pulled him up to her eye level. Her voice came out in a low growl.

"That was for trying to kill Naruto. I hope you understand that you've only managed to prove that Naruto was right all along. You can't handle the Curse Seal and if you think I'm just going to sit back and let you hurt not only Naruto, but also yourself, then you've got another thing coming. Try to run away again and I'll drag your sorry ass back to the village myself."

Satisfied she'd made her point; Sakura dropped Sasuke back on the bed and strode out of the room. Right before she cleared the door, Sasuke spoke.

"What happened to you, Sakura?"

Without turning, Sakura responded. "I've had to grow up and realize that my friends are too stupid to remember that they're on the same side without me there to straighten them out." Leaving Sasuke to his thoughts, Sakura went to spend the rest of the visiting hours with Naruto.

Sakura pulled herself out of her reminiscing as she reached her apartment in Stone. It was a pretty small thing, but she didn't need much space and had decorated it enough to feel at home in it.

As she prepared for a much-deserved shower, Sakura hoped that Naruto and Sasuke could survive long enough without her to make Jonin and learn some real techniques. Because she intended to bury them both with her new jutsu once she got back to Leaf.

Scene Break

Lighting crashed, thunder boomed, and rain pelted down on Sasuke's body. He stood at the top of the tallest mountain in Lightning country, even higher than the Hidden Village of Cloud. A massive storm raged around him as he attempted to strike out at and reflect the various lightning strikes with his own.

It was dangerous, it was borderline suicidal, but it was secluded, it was demanding, and it made him stronger; which was what Sasuke really wanted. Storms always made Sasuke feel better. Maybe it was the electricity in the air that reacted to his Lightning affinity. Maybe it was the moroseness of the grey clouds that's so often matched his mood. Maybe it was simply that the heavy rain blocked out all other sounds, sights, and smells; and allowed Sasuke to feel free from the insanity his life had become.

Sasuke couldn't deny it, he missed Naruto and Sakura. He can't help but wonder when exactly they became friends in his mind. When he stopped referring to Naruto as Dead last or idiot. When he stopped considering Sakura an unwanted load to be carried and instead considered her his friend.

Whatever the reason for why they became so important to him, Sasuke knows he'll do anything and everything to protect his them. Unlike Naruto and Sakura, Sasuke doesn't need to imagine what he would have been like if he entered the loops alone. He experienced first-hand exactly what it would be like.

Sasuke still remembers the day with alarming clarity. They had been lounging in a hotel when someone had knocked on the door. Naruto had moved to answer the door, only for a blade to slice through the wood and cut the blonde in half. Itachi strode into the room, quickly plunging the blade into Naruto's heart, kidneys, lungs, and finally pinning the blade through his brain. Not even Naruto could survive that.

Sasuke had shot to his feet, but Itachi kicked him into a wall, and then used five extra-long kunai to stake Sasuke into place. Sasuke struggled and fought against his bindings, even very nearly ripping his arm off. The Uchiha screamed his throat raw; as he demanded Itachi leave his teammates alone. Those demands quickly turned into desperate cries for someone to help as Itachi held Sakura's neck up where Sasuke could clearly see. Sasuke will never forget watching the knife plunge into Sakura's neck, or the way her eyes lost their focus as the life slowly drained out of them.

Once he was sure she was dead, Itachi unceremoniously dropped Sakura to the ground and left. He hadn't said a single word, and had been in and out in nearly sixty seconds.

When Sasuke finally managed to pry himself off the wall, his first thought was just to slit his wrists and be done with it. Wake up on team selections and just try to pretend it had never happened.

But, he didn't. He couldn't. Naruto and Sakura were Sasuke's anchors. They kept him on the right side of sane so his own hatred wouldn't get the better of him. Without either of them to talk him out of pursuing Itachi, all the old thoughts of bloodlust and revenge came roaring back. Even worse was the fact that Sasuke had gotten his Curse Mark that loop. He had hoped to practice controlling it on a day-to-day basis with Naruto and Sakura there to watch over him. Now it could whisper its dark promises of power to Sasuke unimpeded.

Sasuke sat there, the blood of his best friends still warm on the walls, knife poised over his own wrist to end his life, and he gave in to revenge. Sasuke lowered the knife and swore that he wouldn't rest until Itachi died by his hand. To do that, he needed to get stronger fast and Sasuke knew just the missing ninja to make that happen. Despite all the times he may have considered or argued for it, Sasuke had never actually joined Orochimaru, but that would soon change.

Still, Sasuke wasn't heartless, and had no intention of leaving his friends' corpses to rot in some god forsaken hotel. He reported their deaths to the village and helped the dispatch teams transport them home. Sasuke's original intention had been to attend both their funerals and take some time to properly mourn before leaving for Sound.

That plan went out the window when the bastards started celebrating. Naruto hadn't even been fully buried when a huge crowd showed up to dance on the blonde's grave. Sasuke snapped.

Seeing those villagers disrespecting his best friend pushed him over the edge of sanity. Sasuke killed at least twenty-three men and women before the ninja arrived to arrest him. They were expecting a genin with only a few months of experience, so Sasuke was easily able to surprise and overpower them with the skill honed during the loops. After that, Sasuke ran.

He ran and ran, afraid that if he stopped for even a moment, then Leaf would capture him and he would never avenge Naruto and Sakura. No one caught up with Sasuke. He was so focused on escaping that he wasn't sure if they were unable to keep up, or if they simply hadn't the time to prepare a retrieval team before he crossed the border into Rice country.

Only after making it into Rice country did Sasuke realize that he had no idea where Orochimaru actually set up shop. This didn't prove to be a problem as Orochimaru quickly found him. Word travels faster than ninja and Sasuke going on a rampage at his teammate's funeral was already well known.

When the rogue Sannin appeared before Sasuke, he opened his mouth to speak, but Sasuke raised his hand. "Save it. I don't care how, I don't care what it takes, and I don't care what you do to me. Just make me strong enough so I can kill Itachi, and you can have my worthless body after that."

Orochimaru's grin went from ear to ear.

So it began, Orochimaru trained Sasuke into the ground. In a few short years, Orochimaru had filled Sasuke with more than just jutsu and techniques. He had systematically removed whatever traces of humanity remained in Sasuke and nurtured Sasuke's hatred until it consumed him, leaving room for nothing else.

This ultimately came back to bite the Sannin, as Sasuke waited until Orochimaru's current body was sick and rundown before betraying him. With Orochimaru's body literally fighting against him; it was easy for Sasuke to kill the snake. Sasuke gathered a team from Orochimaru's minions and set out to hunt down his brother. It had only taken a month before they ran into Itachi, though it was quite a bit longer before Sasuke finally met one who wasn't an Avatar or illusion. However, it was only a matter of time before Sasuke finally tracked down his brother. Leaving Suigetsu, Karin, and Juugo to deal with Kisame, Sasuke went onward to confront Itachi.

What followed was by far the hardest battle of Sasuke's life. Illusions, S-classed jutsu, philosophy, hand-to-hand combat, and psychological warfare all bundled together into one explosive battle. In the end, Sasuke's hard work paid off, Itachi laid beneath Sasuke, his eyes ripped out and his arms and legs pinned to the ground. Sasuke held a knife to Itachi's throat, the same knife he used to kill Sakura that Sasuke very nearly killed himself with. Sasuke carried it with him all this time, to exact his vengeance with.

"This is for Naruto and Sakura." Sasuke raised the knife high above his head, and brought it down into Itachi's skull with all the force his worn out body could muster. As Itachi finally died a voice whispered into Sasuke's ear.

"Well done, Sasuke." Then everything went black.

When Sasuke awoke, he was in an underground room, in the presence of a man with a strange orange spiral mask. That was the day Sasuke learned about the existence of Madara Uchiha and the truth of the Uchiha Massacre.

Sasuke had felt as if his entire existence was crashing down around him. All this time he had been trying to kill his brother, when Itachi was doing everything in his power to protect him. He just wanted Sasuke to be safe and away from Madara's influence. Instead Sasuke had blundered right into it. Itachi allowed the entire world to think he was an insane, heartless murderer. He took the sins of all the Uchiha on his back so Sasuke wouldn't have to bear the load.

'Itachi, I'm so sorry.'

Still, something wasn't adding up. If Itachi truly didn't want Sasuke to follow the path of hatred and instead wanted him to redeem the Uchiha clan, then why did he kill Naruto and Sakura? It was completely contradictory to his motivations. Unless… It wasn't Itachi who actually committed the murder. That couldn't be right though. To pull off such a thing would have taken an incredible illusion and Sasuke's Sharingan can see through illusions…unless another Sharingan cast them. So it had to be Itachi then. The only other Sharingan users were himself, Kakashi…and Madara. A cold realization filled Sasuke.

"It was you." Sasuke had whispered, interrupting Madara's speech about the evils of the Leaf. "It was you that day that killed my friends. I didn't question the possibility of someone using an illusion to look like Itachi, because it would take a Sharingan to fool a Sharingan. Up till now, I thought there were only three Sharingan users left, but there is actually a fourth, you."

Madara was quiet for a moment, his expression hidden behind his mask. "Huh, I didn't actually think you'd be smart enough to figure that out."

The ground where Madara was standing on a moment before exploded as Sasuke tried to hit Madara with his Thousand Birds technique.

"Humph. Not bad." Madara said from across the room. "But you're way too weak to actually land a blow on me. It's a shame, I had hoped to wind you up and point you towards the Leaf village to distract the major villages long enough for me to finish my plan. It's bad enough that the Kyuubi is taking so long to reform itself, stupid Fourth Hokage, but now you've proven to be a hindrance as well. Ah well, no plan survives contact with the enemy and all that. I guess I'll just have to kill you."

Sasuke, still severely weakened from his battle with Itachi, collapsed to the ground. The Thousand Birds technique had taken a lot of chakra he simply didn't have at the moment, and his body was shutting down. Madara, almost casually, strolled over and bent down over Sasuke. He got so close that Sasuke could see the Sharingan eye behind the eyehole in his mask.

"So long, Sasuke. Give my regards to your brother for me." Sasuke suddenly felt a terrible pain in his eyes as blood seeped from his sockets. Black flames consumed Madara, blowing him back into the darkness and out of Sasuke's sight.

"Damn him!" Madara cursed. "Itachi gave you his eyes, didn't he? Clever bastard must have set them to activate whenever you saw my Sharingan. You got lucky this time, Sasuke. I have to go get these healed, Itachi's Amaterasu technique isn't something to take lightly. Next time, I'll most certainly kill you."

Before falling into darkness, all Sasuke could hear were the slow steps of Madara retreating.

Sasuke slowly awoke to the sound of someone calling his name.

"Sasuke! Sasuke! Sasuke!" Karin wailed.

"Ugh, I'm awake, Karin." Sasuke suddenly found his vision obscured by red hair as Karin latched onto his neck.

"Sasuke! Thank God!" She cried.

"Karin, what happened? Where are Suigetsu and Juugo?" Sasuke struggled to get out over Karin's sobs.

Karin sniffed and pulled away, wiping away tears. "They… They're dead, Sasuke. Kisame is a complete monster. Suigetsu challenged him to a sword fight and couldn't even score a single blow on him before Kisame cut off Suigetsu's head. Juugo lost it and entered his berserker form, but even that wasn't enough. Kisame somehow combined with his sword, turning himself into a humanoid shark abomination. He ripped Juugo to pieces."

"What happened then?" Sasuke asked.

Karin took a shuddering breath. "He came towards me; his unnatural chakra was making me sick to my stomach. He… he said he needed something to eat after his battle and decided to take a snack before leaving me." With a start, Sasuke realized Karin's left arm was gone.

Karin continued on, her gaze locked on the floor. "The pain was so bad I could barely think straight. I don't know how I managed to heal myself, but I did. I finally gathered the energy to go looking for you and found you in this underground room. I… I thought I had lost you too, Sasuke." Tears overflowed from Karin's eyes and she began to cry.

Sasuke felt a pain in his chest as he stared at the sobbing medic ninja. "I'm sorry, Karin. I should never have brought you here and gotten you involved in my battle with Itachi."

Karin suddenly raised her head. "Don't say that, Sasuke. You needed me. You would be dead if it wasn't for me." Karin wiped at her eyes with her remaining hand and forced a smile. "Besides, you achieved your goal, didn't you?"

Sasuke's expression darkened. "No. I was… misinformed about a lot of things. My real target, Madara Uchiha is still alive and I need to kill him. Karin, you've already suffered from being with me, so I can't ask you to join me in-"

Sasuke was silenced by Karin gently placing her fingers on his lips. "You don't have to ask me, because I'm going to follow you anyway. No matter what, I'm not leaving you."

Sasuke wasn't sure what to say. "Karin, I-"

"Please don't leave me, Sasuke." Karin whispered. "You are all I have left."

Sasuke closed his eyes as he contemplated his next action. 'What would Naruto do?' Sasuke asked himself. Forcing a smile on his face, Sasuke opened his eyes. "Okay Karin, if you still want to put up with me, than you are welcome to stay, but understand that if you ever want to back out, just say so. I won't think any less of you for it."

Karin squealed and wrapped her arm around Sasuke. "Never!" she promised.

It took Sasuke and Karin ten years to finally track down Madara. After years and years of systematically taking down Akatsuki member after Akatsuki member, killing anyone who got in his way, and having the entire ninja world clamor for his head, Sasuke finally had Madara.

The fight lasted three minutes.

Sasuke had severely underestimated how strong an immortal man would be. Madara could tear down and cast illusions without so much as moving, could use more jutsu than Sasuke knew existed, had martial art skills honed to perfection from a century of life, and was a master of the Sharingan. Sasuke never stood a chance.

Sasuke was pinned to a wall by kunai. His body was broken and his chakra was gone. He was completely beaten. Madara stood in front of Sasuke with a struggling Karin in his grip. The ancient Uchiha held a knife up to Karin's throat as Sasuke watched in horror. "Well now, doesn't this seem familiar?" Madara taunted.

Karin was trembling in fear. "Sasuke, I-" Whatever Karin had been about to say was cut off by Madara plunging the knife into her throat. Madara laughed as he dropped the girl's limp form to the ground and watched her bleed out.

Sasuke was too tired to even feel rage anymore. All he could feel was sorrow, regret, and guilt for letting his own desire for revenge bring death to everyone he cared about. Madara wiped the Karin's blood off his knife before making his way over towards Sasuke.

The mask wearing ninja grabbed Sasuke face and raised the younger Uchiha's head. "Poor little Sasuke. You keep letting your loved ones get killed. I imagine you must be in such pain right now. I bet you would love nothing more than to die and make the pain go away."

Madara suddenly grabbed Sasuke and ripped him off the wall, causing Sasuke to cry out in pain as the Kunai were pulled out of his wounds. "That's just too damn bad, Sasuke. You may be beaten and broken, but you don't get to die yet. Your punishment must be more…severe.

Madara dragged Sasuke to the top of the tallest tower in the Hidden in the Rain and impaled Sasuke through the stomach on a large spike. Madara made a point to visit Sasuke every day to make sure Sasuke's chakra was bound, and heal him just enough so Sasuke would stay conscious.

It took Sasuke seven days to die.

When Sasuke woke up in his bed on the day of team selections, he had simply assumed that it was another illusion cast by Madara to torture him. Madara had made of game of seeing how harshly he could mentally scar Sasuke with his illusions. When Sasuke's eyes didn't turn into vats of acid and his tongue didn't grow teeth and begin eating itself, Sasuke assumed Madara was trying a subtler tactic. Instead of sitting in bed, Sasuke decided to enter the underground shrine that held a scroll that could only be read by the Sharingan.

Sasuke just stared at the scroll, waiting for whatever torment awaited him. When Naruto and Sakura found him, Sasuke was horrified. He feared that Madara was going to kill his friends in front of him again, or even have them kill him. It wasn't until they both tried to shake him out of his stupor and asked what happened after Madara had killed them, did Sasuke realize what had happened.

Sasuke spent much of his childhood ignoring everything. He had one goal; revenge, and everything that couldn't achieve that goal was meaningless to him. This gave him an odd filter in his brain that would remove or impede any information that didn't help get revenge. This filter worked against him, as it pushed the time loop out of his mind in place of revenge.

Everything came rushing back to Sasuke in an instant and he threw himself at his friends. Sasuke hated crying. He viewed it as a sign of weakness and did everything in his power to avoid the act. That went out the window as he sobbed into his friend's arms, so relieved to have them back in his life that he didn't give a damn about anything else.

Even with his friends back, Sasuke had spent over thirteen years on his own with revenge as his only goal. Those scars still ran deep and Sasuke doubted he would ever fully recover from that incident. Still, Sasuke had his friends back, and all the time in the world to heal. If nothing else, Sasuke at least knew that he would never have to relive the horrible experience of living without his friends. The Soul Bond that Sakura had found was a gift from above as far as Sasuke was concerned. Not only was Sasuke protected by it, but it also meant that Naruto and Sakura would never have to experience what he did. If there was one thing Sasuke took away from those dark days, it was understanding just how much Naruto and Sakura meant to him, and how far he'll go through to protect them.

The storm had passed during Sasuke's reflection on the past, and the skies were beginning to clear. Deciding he had enough training for the day, Sasuke headed back for the village. Instead of just Body-Flickering down, Sasuke decided to take his time and walk back down the mountain path. He smiled as the bright sun began to dip into the horizon, painting the sky pink. The combination of colors made Sasuke think of his friends with a warm smile. Maybe clear skies were better than storms after all.

End


	3. Defection to Sound

A/N: I apologize for how long it's taken me to get this chapter out. My time was pretty much focused on preparing for and attending Otakon and school starts soon, so that's eating up time as well. Again, I apologize.

On the plus side this chapter is longer than my other two combined. Be warned, there are some spoilers for later in the manga here. Also, this chapter is a bit…sporadic.

Start

Sasuke stared out over the village from his vantage point on his roof. Night had fallen and the village was slowly falling asleep as the civilian activity came to an end. The village was beginning to regain its strength now that Tsunade was in the Hokage chair, but it would take time to heal.

Sasuke simply enjoyed the cool breeze as he waited. The soft sounds of muffled footsteps alerted him to the fact he wasn't alone. Sasuke probably would have missed it if he weren't specifically looking for it. Climbing to his feet, Sasuke turned to regard the four individuals in front of him.

"So I have to ask. Is Leaf's security really that bad, or are you all just that good?" Sasuke asked the Sound Four.

A man with dull grey hair grinned. "It's a little of both, really. We're the elite of the Sound village, but Leaf has plenty of holes to exploit if you know where to find them." Sakon grew serious. "We're here on behalf of Lord Orochimaru. He requests that you come with us and join the Sound village. He promises to give you all the power you could ever need."

Sasuke nodded. "I figured as much. I agree to join you." Sasuke almost laughed as the Sound Four, who were clearly expecting a fight, nearly tripped over themselves.

Sakon regained his composure first. "You're agreeing to come with us and betray the Leaf village? Without a fuss?"

Sasuke smirked. "Not exactly. I have certain…conditions to going with you."

The redheaded female, Tayuya if memory served, blew her stack. "Who the fuck do you think you fucking are, cock-sucker? Do you think we give two shits about your pussy ass conditions, you cum guzzling son of a street whore?"

Sasuke was impressed. He hadn't heard swearing like that since the time Sakura broke three of her toes and pulled a hamstring while practicing her Earth techniques.

Sakon held out his hand and silenced the irate female. He turned his gaze back to Sasuke. "I'm listening."

Scene Break

"I don't like this, Sakon. Do you really think this is a good idea?" Tayuya asked as they leapt through the trees towards Sound. Her lack of swearing showed just how worried she was.

Sakon sighed and glanced back towards Sasuke and his… conditions. Jiroubou and Kidomaru were bringing up the rear and keeping a careful eye on their charge. If there was the slightest sign of trouble, Kidomaru would use his web capture and Jiroubou would use his Chakra Drain to subdue it.

"No, Tayuya." Sakon answered. "No, I don't think this is a good idea. But you heard Lord Orochimaru's orders; bring back Sasuke by any means necessary. We don't have a choice."

Tayuya was still nervous, so Sakon continued. "Look, once we're in Sound we'll have Lord Orochimaru there. He can handle any plan this punk may have." That seemed to reassure the flautist and the rest of the trip was made in silence.

Scene Break

"Lord Orochimaru. The Sound Four have returned." Kabuto said to his master.

"Excellent." The Snake Sannin smirked beneath the bandages covering his new face. The Third Hokage had done quite a number on him, and he was forced into a new body early. "And they brought Sasuke?"

Kabuto hesitated. "Yes sir, they did. However, there was an unforeseen…complication." Orochimaru simply arched his brow, allowing Kabuto to continue. "Sasuke apparently wouldn't leave without certain conditions being met. Since the Sound Four were ordered to make as little a spectacle as possible, they agreed and hoped you would be able to sort it out."

Orochimaru stroked his chin. "I see. And just what are these 'conditions' you speak of?"

Kabuto gestured to the hallway behind him. "It would be easier if you saw for yourself, My Lord."

Nodding to his second in command, the ex-Leaf ninja walked down the darkened halls towards the entrance chamber. He arrived to see his loyal Sound Four surrounding Sasuke Uchiha… and his two teammates?

Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto each dropped to one knee and bowed as soon as they saw the Sannin. They spoke in unison. "Orochimaru, we pledge ourselves to you and your teachings, if you will have us."

Even with the bandages obscuring his face, Kabuto had never seen his master grin so widely before.

Scene Break

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Sasuke asked as he, Sakura, and Naruto settled in to their new accommodations. Sasuke had been very clear that his friends were to be in the same room as him.

Naruto sighed as he sat down on his bed. "I don't know, Sasuke. I-I feel like I'm almost betraying the Old Man by being here, but at the same time, I don't really care. It feels like the Old Man just isn't as important to me as he once was. Does that make me a horrible person?"

Sakura answered before Sasuke could. "No, Naruto. No, it doesn't. The loops just keep going on and on. That means we constantly mature and change, while everyone else around us eventually just resets after a while. Eventually, we have to pull away from those people, because in a way, they aren't the people they should be. People who were friends as kids might not get along as teenagers and so forth. It's even worse with us, because any bonds we make with people either disappear or get snapped back to a certain point. Believe me, Naruto; I know exactly how you feel."

And indeed she did. As sad as it was, between the three of them, Sakura was the one with the largest circle of friends before the loops began. Sasuke never really associated with anyone before the loops and people who Naruto cared about could be counted on one hand. Sakura not only had both of her parents, but a smattering of friends in the academy as well.

Sakura had grown distant with all of them, though the one that hurt the most was Ino. Sakura had been thrilled when she learned ways to become friends with Ino again during the loops. This joy wasn't meant to last, however. Sakura was an immature brat during her academy days. Unfortunately, while Sakura grew out of this, Ino did not. That is to say, Ino took a very long time to grow out this phase.

Due to the laid back nature of her teammates and teacher; Ino didn't really have any serious motivations to become a strong ninja outside of family obligations. It usually took a harsh wake-up call, the most effective of which was either her teacher Asuma or her father, Inoichi, dying in the line of duty.

Those events usually didn't happen until a few years into Ino's ninja career, so Sakura found it increasingly difficult to deal with a perpetually childish Ino. Sakura had, at one point, gotten the idea to train Ino herself. Thereby making her stronger and prodding her along to be a better ninja. That plan had ended in disaster.

The one time Sakura managed to convince Ino that she didn't have an ulterior motive to training her; Sakura made Ino competent enough to notice and dispel the sleep illusion cast by Kabuto during the Invasion. The sleeping illusion was actually beneficial in a lot of ways, because it kept civilians and low level ninja out of the fight. Without being asleep, Ino instantly became a target for the Sand and Sound ninja and she had been nowhere near ready for that level of combat. Sakura had an extra funeral to attend that loop.

Pulling herself back to the present, Sakura watched as Naruto processed her words. "Maybe you're right, Sakura. It doesn't matter either way." Naruto sighed.

Sasuke spoke. "Don't say that, Naruto. Of course your feelings matter. Listen, if you want to pull out of this at any time, just say the word and we're gone." Sakura nodded her agreement.

Naruto just shook his head. "Sasuke, what you said that day was right. We can use this as an opportunity to gain valuable information on one of the Leaf's biggest threats. Not only that, but hopefully we'll find a way to remove the Curse Mark once and for all. This is too important to let my own feelings get in the way. We're ninja. The mission comes first.

"Bullshit!" Sakura hissed. "Don't you even dare start thinking like Danzo. Your emotions aren't a weakness, Naruto. You should know that better than anyone. I understand that you're disturbed by your lack of a connection to the Third, but if you seriously only cared about the mission, then you wouldn't have insisted that the two of us join Sasuke."

Sasuke joined in before Naruto could respond. "And we're not just ninja, Naruto. We're time travelers. We can start over if something goes wrong. We have that luxury. We don't have to become emotionless drones that only focus on completing a mission. If something goes wrong, then we can go back and fix it." Sasuke's expression darkened. "Take advantage of the loops; don't be so stupid as to try to do everything by yourself. We're in this together, and we always will be."

Naruto gave a small smile. "Thanks guys. I really needed that. Okay, enough about me. What kind of time frame are we looking at here?"

"Since we managed to stall the Sound Four long enough on our journey here, Orochimaru had to use his Possession jutsu on someone else. That gives us roughly two and a half to three years before he's fit to try again." Sakura stated.

Naruto nodded. "Alright, then let's get some sleep. First thing tomorrow, we try out our plan to stop Orochimaru from taking Sasuke's unwilling body."

Sasuke winced. "Do you have to say it like that?"

"Don't look at me, blame Orochimaru who made a technique that is literally impossible to describe without sounding creepy."

Scene Break

"Hey, Kabuto! Wait up!"

Orochimaru's second in command turned at the sound of his name being called to find Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke jogging towards his direction. The three gave a small wave of greeting before Naruto started talking.

"We were hoping to run into you. Listen, are you busy?" Kabuto was slightly unnerved by how casually Naruto was speaking to him, considering the last time the two had met Kabuto had plunged a knife through the blonde's hand.

"Not really, no. I was just heading down to the lab to check up on some experiments. Why?" Naruto's grin widened.

"That's perfect. You see, the three of us have our own little experiment we want to try, and you're just the man to help us." Naruto patted a folder he was holding as he said this.

Now Kabuto was intrigued. "Really? Well then, follow me. Let's walk and talk." By the time they reached the labs, the three new ninjas of Sound had explained what they were hoping to accomplish.

"So do you think it's possible?" Sakura asked.

Kabuto didn't respond immediately. He was rubbing his chin while flipping through Naruto's folder, deep in thought. "It's certainly ambitious, I'll give you that. As for if it's possible… I'd say the chances of it working are less than ten percent."

Kabuto expected the three to look disappointed, instead Naruto seemed even happier. "So you're saying there's a chance."

The spectacled ninja was nonplussed. "Yes, but it's such a small chance that it's not really worth trying."

Naruto was undeterred. "You said there was a chance. That alone makes it worth doing. How can science advance if we aren't willing to take risks on crazy ideas? And if a few dozen people happen to get hurt in the process, well sacrifices have to be made. For science!"

Who was Kabuto to argue with logic like that?

Scene Break

The three wayward Leaf Ninja had to admit, Orochimaru was an excellent teacher, something he shared with his fellow Sannin. However, unlike his teammates, Orochimaru had absolutely no qualms about teaching them top of the line jutsu, strategies and illusions.

In the Leaf village, and every major village for that matter, there were very strict rules about what could and couldn't be taught to ninja of a certain level. Genin weren't meant to be trusted with A-rank jutsu for instance. There were exceptions made if you were part of a clan or if you teacher was a particularly well-respected Jonin. Hence why people like Gai and Kakashi could get away with teaching Genin techniques like the Thousand Birds and the Lotus.

If you wanted to get some real techniques, then you need to claw your way to the top. This was particularly frustrating for Naruto, since the village had such a prejudice against him. Sakura could make ANBU faster than Naruto would be promoted to Chunin in the Leaf village.

Even Tsunade and Jiraiya, who were much more willing to teach powerful techniques, had personal reasons for not just training super soldiers left and right. Tsunade, having lost so many people she cared about, was ruthless in testing and retesting a person's capabilities. If you slipped up even once, then you had to start over at the basics before Tsunade would train you further. To Tsunade, this ensured that whomever she trained wouldn't be unprepared for any form of situation, but it made training with her feel like pulling teeth.

Jiraiya, on the other hand, simply didn't like teaching in general, since, in his mind, any person he trained only had tragedy awaiting them. The Fourth Hokage sacrificed himself for the village and the only other students Jiraiya had trained ended up either dead or being in charge of Akatsuki. Jiraiya had once admitted to Naruto that he considered Pein, or rather Nagato, to be his greatest failure.

Orochimaru, by contrast, had no such personal hang ups. Instead, he seemed to enjoy teaching the most manic and destructive jutsu he could and watching Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke perform it.

As much as he hated to admit it, Naruto enjoyed learning under Orochimaru. It was nice to be taught without having the feeling that the people who were teaching you would rather be doing anything but.

Kakashi had never been interested in teaching Naruto, Sakura, or even Sasuke much of anything really. He only started really training Sasuke when the Uchiha needed the speed and power necessary to punch through Gaara's shield. Despite this, Naruto didn't really bear any ill will towards the man.

Kakashi considered himself too good to bother wasting his time with teaching a couple of rookies and, in a way, he was. Kakashi is a one of the strongest ninja in the village. He's been a Jonin since he was twelve and is highly respected both in the village and out. Fact of the matter is, Kakashi really is too skilled to be teaching rookies when he could be out doing top ranked assignments.

Kakashi only got assigned to Team 7 because of outside influence. In all reality, the same could be said of most of the other Jonin of the Rookie 12. Kakashi was on the team to help with Sasuke's Sharingan. Gai, who is as respected as Kakashi, only took on a team because he admired Lee's courage and wanted to help the boy achieve his dream of being a great ninja without ninjutsu.

Asuma, who used to be one of the Daimyo's personal bodyguards, was assigned because of his well-rounded abilities and his kind personality would benefit the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. While Naruto wished no offense to the woman, Kurenai was still a relatively new Jonin and was the only one who actually would have gotten the assignment of Jonin instructor under normal circumstances.

The only other main teacher Naruto had was Jiraiya, whose personal hang ups kept him from divulging all of his secrets. The only reason he even taught Naruto something as powerful as the Rasengan was because it was Naruto's birthright.

It just felt nice to have a teacher who wasn't afraid to teach top of the line jutsu. Even if the guy still gave Naruto the creeps on occasion, Orochimaru had insights that even masters of wind jutsu had been unable or unwilling to teach him.

"Think of the space between you and your target as a series of constantly moving particles. I want you to focus and push the particles forward. Don't gather air around you and blow the particles like a gust or slice through them with a vacuum blade. Take those particles between you and the wall and simply _force_ them forward." Orochimaru instructed.

It was harder than it sounded. Wind was a flowing element, so it required a lot of grace and flowing movement to bend the wind to your will. Orochimaru was effectively telling Naruto to forget all that and just force the very air to move. There is an important distinction between air and wind. Wind was air in movement that could be focused or bent, but there had to be movement. The standard way was to emit chakra into the air and allow it to begin moving in the way you required. Orochimaru was essentially telling Naruto to push the still air without actually moving it.

Naruto took and deep breath and concentrated. He could feel the air around him just waiting for his command to move; instead he focused on pushing without movement. He thrust his fist forward, emitting chakra from his palm that pushed against the air particles instead of blending with them.

Naruto felt the air strike against the stone wall at the far end of the room. He was unprepared for a crater the size of Naruto's head to form from his attack. Naruto stared at the effects of what he had just done in shock.

Orochimaru clapped his hands. "Well done, Naruto. Now that you've gotten the basic premise, we'll work on control and precision."

Naruto was staring at his hand in amazement. "That was a lot stronger than I thought it would be."

"Hmm. Air is a powerful element. Fire and Lightning jutsus may be the flashiest and most visually impressive, but air has the potential to perform incredible damage. Remember, air is everywhere around us and is necessary for many things .One thing most people fail to realize about air is that if you push it, it has to go somewhere. Push with enough force and you can make a pocket of air the size of a fist hit with the force of a boulder."

To demonstrate, Orochimaru thrust his own hand out. A crater much smaller than Naruto's, yet much deeper embedded into the wall. Naruto was amazed, but Orochimaru wasn't finished. "Not only that, but people carry air inside their lungs just to breathe. Imagine, instead of pushing the air _outside_ and opponent's body, you pushed the air from _inside_ their lungs.

Naruto's eyes went wide as he considered the implications. "Good God, they would never see it coming. Ninja are trained to detect and counter external attacks, and internal one would catch them completely off guard." Naruto stared at the two craters in the wall. "You could split a man in half with that kind of power."

The Snake Sannin grinned. "Very good."

Naruto frowned slightly as he gazed at the two stone craters. "How is it possible for air to do so much damage to stone? Isn't wind weak to earth?"

Orochimaru chuckled. "To most ninja, yes. However, a true master of an element can disregard the elemental rock-paper-scissors matchups."

Naruto frowned in confusion. "I don't understand."

The Snake Sannin continued. "A true master of fire could ignite flames at the bottom of the ocean. A master of water could prevent electricity from conducting. A master of wind can penetrate even the toughest of stone." He gestured towards the recently made craters for emphasis.

"So you're saying that it's possible to be so strong you can overrule the laws of nature?"

Orochimaru grinned. "That's an excellent way to describe it."

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's get to work!"

Scene Break

The Sound Four entered the mess hall, intending to get some food. They had just returned from a mission in Cloud and were after some much needed fuel. They were slightly surprised to see Kabuto sitting with Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. The four were absentmindedly eating while they appeared to be conversing over a series of notes and diagrams spread out through the table.

"The chemical ratios are still off." Sakura said. "We need more iron in the mix."

Kabuto groaned and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I still don't understand why we have to make one from scratch. I have numerous samples that could-"

"The entire purpose is to build a blank slate from base materials that could be made over and over again." Naruto argued. "While I don't doubt that your samples are well cleaned and maintained, they will still have that slightest stain in them. It renders the experiment pointless."

Sasuke noticed the Sound Four approaching and alerted the others. Kabuto was finished with his meal so he began gathering up the various papers. "I'll see what I can do about the chemical influx. I want you three to come by tonight so I can gather more samples from you. I want to start trying to mix your variables in to see how well the structure holds." The three nodded and waved goodbye to the silver haired medic before turning to the Sound Four.

Tayuya spoke. "The fuck was that about?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Just a little pet project we've got going on. It's not really important. Would you like to join us?"

The elite of the Sound village were slightly surprised by the invitation, but saw no harm in accepting. It had been nearly a year since they had escorted the three to the village and they still knew very little about them. Constant missions and training hadn't left much time for socializing.

Once they were situated, Naruto decided to get the ball rolling with his incredible tact and subtlety. "So you all have Curse Marks, right?" Sakura gave him a smack upside the head, but the Sound Four didn't seem offended. They even leaned forward to show their differing Curse Marks.

"Does Orochimaru choose the design of each curse mark?" Sasuke asked.

Sakon shrugged. "As far as I know, he just lets the curse tailor make itself to each recipient. The Heaven and the Earth curses are the only type he ever consciously chooses to give." Sasuke resisted the urge to rub his neck where his own Heaven mark was located. It was sealed for the time being, and Sasuke had no intention of calling on its power.

Sakura seemed intrigued by Sakon's answer. "If that's true, then the curse has to have some form of adaptation ability. I wonder what factors it takes in when changing. Chakra capacity and control? Elemental Affinity? Maybe even something like personality or blood type? Not only that, but outside of the Heaven and Earth marks, is it possible for two people to have the same mark? If so, we could try to isolate the factors that created that mark and determine what causes the differences."

Naruto interrupted Sakura's spiel. "As much as I hate to dash your Curse experimenting dreams, we have our own project that we kind of need to focus on." Sakura nodded in agreement, but looked forlorn.

Kidomaru seemed uneasy. "We're not going to wake up to find you hovering over our necks, are we?" The three of them laughed at the thought, though realized the Sound Four wanted an answer.

"Perish the thought." Sakura said after getting herself under control. "It's just a medic's curiosity."

Jiroubou spoke. "That's exactly what Kabuto says when he wants to perform an experiment. One time I agreed to what he called a 'psychological test.' I woke up three days later, butt naked in a hotel in Hidden Stone village with a note that said I had 48 hours to get back to Sound."

This time, everyone burst into laughter, besides Jiroubou. "It's not funny." He pouted. His lips twitched upward slightly as the laughter continued. "Okay, it's a little funny."

"Man, that must have been a fun little experience." Naruto chuckled.

Jiroubou groaned. "Oh that's not even the worst of it. Kabuto had spent the previous few days running around Stone village causing trouble disguised as me. I only had a few minutes to try to process what was going on before people started trying to break down the door. There were Casino owners who claimed I had massive debts in all their establishments. Angry fathers who claimed I knocked up their daughters, and an entire ensemble of pet owners who claimed I had kidnapped their animals. There are still wanted posters of me up in Stone!"

The entire table was now howling with laughter as Jiroubou told his tale. Naruto and Kidomaru were practically choking, they were laughing so hard. With the ice broken, the seven ninja began exchanging stories and jokes with each other as they ate their meals.

Naruto checked the time and got to his feet. "It's been real, guys, but we have to report to training. See you around?" The Sound Four gave nods of agreement and waved the new additions to Sound off.

As the three walked off, they just barely heard Kidomaru's question to Jiroubou. "So… did you actually knock up all those girls?"

Scene Break

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were currently practicing a new technique under Orochimaru's carful gaze. It was called the Maniac Contortion jutsu, it allowed someone to bend, shift, stretch, or even shrink his or her body in a myriad of ways. When someone dodges a punch, they don't expect the same blow to whip around their head and strike from the opposite side.

Team 7 was currently using it to play tag with one another. Extending limbs to strike out at the others, while twisting their own bodies to avoid being tagged themselves. Orochimaru seemed to find the entire display incredibly entertaining. Kabuto entering the room interrupted their fun.

"Lord Orochimaru, we've just received word from our spies in the Sand village. The Kazekage has been captured by Akatsuki." Naruto instantly perked up as he realized Kabuto was talking about Gaara.

Orochimaru frowned. "I see. It seems that my old comrades are beginning to make their move." The three former Leaf Shinobi glanced at one another. They knew that Gaara's kidnapping was the starting point for a lot of hectic events to begin. It also meant that their three-year time limit was almost up, and it was time to put their experiment to the test.

"Orochimaru." Naruto said, gaining the Sannin's attention. "We have been working on something with Kabuto since we got here. We'd like to show it to you."

Orochimaru was intrigued. He had been aware that the four were experimenting on something, but didn't know what. Kabuto assured him that it wouldn't harm Orochimaru and could only help him, so the Snake let them have their privacy. "Lead the way."

The five of them made their way down to Kabuto's private lab. They gathered around a large glass container. Orochimaru knew these large pods were filled with chemicals to preserve bodies for observation and testing, though he couldn't make out what was actually in it due to the observation lights being switched off.

Kabuto approached the control panel and switched on the lights. Orochimaru found himself staring at…himself? Indeed, floating in the green liquid of the pod was what appeared to be an exact copy of Orochimaru.

"Okay." He said slowly. "Start explaining."

Naruto took the lead. "You wanted Sasuke here so you could use your Possession Jutsu to take over his body and gain the Sharingan."

Orochimaru chuckled, unconcerned with the implied threat in Naruto's voice. "Guilty."

"And you must be aware of the fact that we have no intention of letting that happen."

"I had my suspicions." The yellow-eyed missing ninja subtly shifted his stance as he prepared for an ambush.

"So Sakura, Sasuke, Kabuto, and I have been working on a… substitute." Orochimaru arched his brow. Now he was intrigued again. "What you see before you is over two and half years of near constant work."

Orochimaru spoke. "So you made a corpse that looks like me? I fail to see how that helps anyone. I need a living body to possess."

Sakura took over. "We're well aware of that. This isn't a corpse. This is a Cultivated Vessel. The body in there is very much alive and it doesn't just look like you, it is you."

The raven-haired ninja was growing irritated by the way there were skirting the issue. He focused his yellow gaze onto Kabuto. The medic cleared his throat nervously.

"You see, Lord Orochimaru, what we've done here is create a perfect soulless vessel for you to occupy. It took an incredible pooling of Sakura's and my own medical expertise, but by breaking down a human anatomy into base materials mixing the material with Naruto's incredible regenerative powers and using your DNA as a baseline or rather a framework, we were able to literally grow you a body."

Now it was Sasuke's turn. "It has no soul, so you won't have to constantly suppress another person's will. And since it's your own body instead of someone else, it won't naturally fight against you, so the possession should last a good deal longer than three years."

Orochimaru stroked his chin thoughtfully while the four waited to see his reaction. "This is indeed an incredible achievement." He began amicably. "However, The Sharingan is too valuable a prize to give up on. I've waited years to gain my own, and I will not be deterred."

To Orochimaru's surprise, the four in front of him actually grinned. "You don't have to give up the Sharingan, Lord Orochimaru." Kabuto said. He began typing in commands on the control panel. The Cultivated Vessel opened its eyes. Instead of the yellow snake eyes he was expecting, Orochimaru was staring into a pair of red Sharingan.

"Because we literally grow the body from scratch," Kabuto explained. "We can infuse it with any bloodline we wish. Assuming we have a decent sample of said bloodline and can sufficiently break it down. We took a lot of cues and tips from your experiments with the First Hokage's Wood jutsu."

Orochimaru's jaw was now hanging open in shock, disbelief plastered across his face. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but failed to make a sound. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had accomplished some amazing things during these time loops. Each of them considered shocking The Snake Sannin utterly speechless as one of their most impressive feats.

Finally, Orochimaru managed to find his voice. "So you can create the Sharingan?"

Sakura decided to answer. "Not create, exactly. More like replicate. We couldn't have done this if it wasn't for Sasuke allowing his own DNA to be extracted and his eyes constantly examined to break down the specific genes that create the Sharingan. Then we plant those genes into the Cultivated Vessel and allow it to grow naturally with the body."

"I don't think natural can be used to describe anything we've done here." Naruto quipped. Sakura ignored him.

"It's not just the Sharingan either. The Cultivated Vessel is essentially a blank slate that can be painted with bloodlines. We just need a proper sample and understanding of it. Though, not all bloodlines get along well with each other. We tried mixing in Kimimaro's Dead Bone Pulse bloodline and the whole thing blew up in our faces. We can make a Vessel with one or the other, just not both."

Orochimaru now stared at the four in front of him with wonder in his eyes, unable to fully believe what they had given him. "Is-is it ready to be used?" He asked.

Kabuto checked the screens monitoring the Vessel. "I just need to run some final check-up scans to make sure everything is in proper working order, but it's just a formality at this point. I can have it ready by tonight."

Orochimaru composed himself and nodded. "Good. Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, I want you to meet me in the main training hall in three days, understand?" The three nodded. "You're dismissed."

Scene Break

The three entered the training hall to find Orochimaru waiting for them. He watched them enter with his newly acquired Sharingan. He was dressed differently than they were used to seeing him. Instead of the loose black and beige shirt and robe with a large purple rope belt, he was dressed more like a traditional Jonin. Black pants with combat boots, a black Jonin jacket, with straps across the chest as opposed to scroll pouches, and a Hidden Sound headband across his forehead.

The three took in the new look. They had never seen Orochimaru in official ninja clothes or with his headband. Hell, they had thought the rope and robes were the official ninja clothes for Sound given how everyone seemed to wear them. With the new clothes and the Sharingan, Orochimaru actually looked quite different. Though, this may have something to do with the serious expression he wore. Even in battles to the death Orochimaru wore an expression of smug glee more often than not. The way he regarded the three was definitely something new.

"The new look suits you, Orochimaru." Sakura commented casually.

Orochimaru's expression didn't change. "I find myself contemplating what to do with you three." He said slowly. "I intended to simply kill you two off once I possessed Sasuke, but your experiment has rendered that plan moot. More than that, you've proven yourselves to be too valuable to simply toss away."

Team 7 wasn't sure what to say to that, so simply stayed quiet. Orochimaru began pacing. "It's become increasingly apparent that you all can actually be useful beyond simple amusement and a temporary body. I have debated with myself whether or not to allow you access to my future plans, and this new vessel has sealed the deal for me."

He focused on the three. "You three are officially my new apprentices, and that means it's time to stop holding back on your training."

Now the three were confused. "Holding back?" Sasuke asked. Orochimaru laughed.

"Did you really think I would seriously train three people who I intended to kill? You three have grown beautifully under my tutelage, but if you think you know even of fraction of what I do, then you're delusional. Don't mistake my meaning; you all are easily A-ranked ninja. However, It's about time you learned the difference between an A-ranked ninja, and an S-ranked ninja."

Orochimaru dropped into a battle stance, his new Sharingan whirling in his eyes. "I want you three to come at me with full strength. Don't hold back."

The three time travelers glanced at each other. They weren't sure exactly what Orochimaru was planning, but decided to go along with it for the moment.

Sakura shot forward, her fist pulled back to deliver a super powered punch. Orochimaru ducked beneath the blow and grabbed her passing wrist. The pink haired girl was pulled off her feet and swung around like a rag doll. Orochimaru spun her three times to gain momentum, before slamming her into the ground with enough force to cause a crater.

Sasuke, charged with a full body Lightning Blade, moved in on Orochimaru. Rather than get close; Sasuke focused the lightning surrounding his body into a blade of pure electricity. He slashed at Orochimaru; the blade could extend at will and had no actual weight, allowing Sasuke to swing as fast as his arm could possibly move. It wasn't fast enough.

With inhuman speed, The Snake Sannin sped directly at Sasuke. Before he could even finish the slash, Orochimaru was directly in front of him. Sasuke expected the full cloak of lighting to protect him, he was wrong. Orochimaru seemed to completely disregard the electricity and grabbed the Uchiha's arm. The Sannin slammed his fist directly into Sasuke's elbow joint, dislocating it. The pain caused Sasuke to lose his concentration and the Lightning Blade dissipated.

Sasuke pumped Chakra into his Lightning Cloak to try and force Orochimaru back. Once again the Snake seemed to flip physics the bird and latched onto Sasuke's shoulder, not even wincing from the electricity. Unable free himself from the Sannin's death grip, Sasuke couldn't dodge as Orochimaru proceeded to viciously bombard his abdomen with his fist over and over.

The last Uchiha fell to his knee, hacking blood, as the Lightning Cloak vanished. Orochimaru turned to see five pairs of Naruto facing him. Each pair armed with a Big Ball Rasengan. Before the blondes could react Orochimaru ran straight at the pair in the center. The two attempted to nail the Sannin with their technique, only for Orochimaru to drop to the ground on all fours. His head twisted in a way that shouldn't be physically possible and catapulted his sword, Kusanagi, at the Naruto on the left in the pair on the far right.

The sword plunged into the original Naruto's shoulder, burying itself over halfway through his body. Naruto was about to pull the blade out when he realized Orochimaru's tongue was wrapped around the handle.

"Oh no."

"Thunder Style: Shock Wave." Electricity surged from the Snake's tongue into his sword, then into Naruto. The Jinchuuriki screamed as his nerves were fried, and he quickly lost control of the large Rasengan. The swirling ball of chakra ruptured, the resulting blast destroying Naruto's clones as well.

"Earth Style: Blade Barrage!"

Orochimaru turned to see Sakura back on her feet. Both her hands were flat on the ground and over a dozen stone spears erupted from beneath her and flew at the Sannin. Rather than dodge the spears, Orochimaru instead melted into the ground.

Sakura slammed her fist into the ground, causing massive chunks of the floor to fly into the air. "You can't hide below from me!" She shouted.

"Then how about above?" Sakura's head shot upward to see the top half of the Sannin melt out one of the floor chunks she had sent into the air. Sakura tried to ready a jutsu, but Orochimaru beat her to the punch.

"Water style: Dark Rain."

Pebbles of hardened water slammed down upon Sakura. The droplets had enough force to punch straight through her skin. She only barely managed to avoid a fatal blow by protecting her head with her arms, but she was now bleeding profusely from multiple wounds.

Orochimaru pulled himself from the stone chunk, nimbly dodging a series of Kunai thrown at him. Sasuke was pressed into the far corner of the room, so he would have the entire room in his field of vision. His hands were extended before him, held together to form a triangle.

"Thunder Style: Erratic Electric!" A condensed beam of Lightning shot from the Uchiha's hands towards the Sannin. Orochimaru easily sidestepped the attack, only to be forced to jump when the beam bounced off the wall and reflected back at him. Sasuke fired off another three beams in different directions, no doubt using his Sharingan to calculate the angles of reflection. Unfortunately for Sasuke, Orochimaru had Sharingan of his own now.

Not even moving from his spot, Orochimaru simply clapped his hands together. "Earth Style: Buddhist Palm." Four large hands sprouted from the ground and intercepted each beam, reflecting them all back at Sasuke.

Cursing loudly, Sasuke dove along the wall to avoid his own attack. Orochimaru was on top of him instantly. Before Sasuke could even contemplate attacking, The Sannin nailed Sasuke's head with a high kick that slammed his cranium into the wall.

Without even turning, The Sannin's hand shot out and caught his Kusanagi blade, making sure to avoid the wind enhanced blade and grab the handle. He turned towards Naruto, who had just thrown the blade. Naruto thrust his hand forward, pushing the air towards Orochimaru. "Wind Style: Unrelenting Force!"

Orochimaru held out his free hand, not even bothering to dodge. "Wind Style: Unrelenting Force." Naruto was shocked to not only feel his own attack ripped apart like it wasn't there, but to be thrown bodily across the room as Orochimaru's much stronger attack hit.

Slowly, almost casually, The Sannin dispelled the wind chakra surrounding his blade and placed the tip in his mouth, proceeding to swallow the weapon whole. Once his sword was properly stored away, Orochimaru idly noted that Sasuke was no longer lying at his feet. He looked across the room where all three of his opponents were now standing.

Sakura stood in the center holding the front end of a ludicrously large spinning pillar. The giant stone pillar was held horizontally above their heads, suspended up by wind courtesy of Naruto. The massive gyro was filled with hundreds of spinning teeth, surrounded by dozens of blades on the outside that formed a single, deadly point. Beneath the moving earth and stone, sparks of electricity were visible, as it seemed to be channeling through the entire contraption.

The three spoke as one. "Seven Style: Ballistic Drill Blitz!" and launched their group Jutsu at the Snake Sannin. The massive pillar tore through the air as it closed in on him. Orochimaru held out his hand, index and middle finger extended. A single ball of light formed just in front of his fingertips.

"Fire Style: Incineration." A beam of white heat, barely thicker than a needle, pierced straight through the drill, and the wall behind it. The group jutsu exploded as the indescribable heat of the beam melted the stone pillar, causing the Lightning within it to violently detonate. Naruto would later swear that he could feel the very air catch fire.

The force of the explosion slammed into Team 7 and they were violently flung into the wall, before everything went black.

Scene Break

Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto slowly regained consciousness. They were unsurprised to find themselves in the medical wing. Once all three were awake and properly alert Orochimaru made his presence known.

"Now do you understand the difference between an A-rank and an S-rank?" He asked.

"That was insane." Sakura growled. "We've fought S-rank ninja before and we were never beaten that badly." Orochimaru arched a disbelieving eyebrow at this, but commented anyway.

"If you truly did fight against someone of S-rank, which I very much doubt, then they most likely didn't fight full out. There is one critical weakness that all S-rank, myself included, share; arrogance. When you command such incredible power, it's easy to disregard others as not being a threat. This is a critical mistake. A knife into your heart will more than likely kill you if it's from a Genin or a Jonin. I am very aware of this weakness, but still allow my own arrogance to often get the better of me. I have you three to thank for reminding me of this critical flaw."

Seeing their confused faces, he continued. "I thought of you all as not even being close to my level, and I think I demonstrated that you aren't. However, consider for a moment what would have happened if I fought all three of you without taking you seriously. I would toy with and mock you, intentionally avoiding ending the fight for my own amusement and keeping my best jutsu in storage. If I hadn't been taking you three seriously from the start, then that last jutsu would have taken me completely off guard and more than likely kill me."

The Sannin allowed that to sink in for a moment. "You three created this Cultivated Vessel, accomplishing something I had never even thought of. It re-opened my eyes to the fact that I am not infallible and it's very possible for others to potentially outwit me. Thanks to you three, as long as I have this body, I won't be making that mistake again."

Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura's minds reeled at the information they were receiving. Sakura was right; they had faced S-rank enemies in the past. What she failed to mention was that, more often than not, it was Orochimaru himself who they fought. Since he always started skulking around the village during the Chunin exams, it only took a few quick months after team selections to find him.

The three of them had taken advantage of having an Akatsuki level ninja to test themselves against. While Orochimaru usually won, he had never beaten them that badly, not even on their first time through. At least they could damage the Snake in some way shape or form. This time they couldn't even lay a finger on him. If what Orochimaru was saying was true, then Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura weren't nearly as strong as they thought they were. Not enough to take on Akatsuki at any rate.

Sasuke understood what Orochimaru was saying better than his friends, having actually experienced a savage beat down from an S-class enemy. Back during the dark days when Naruto and Sakura were killed and he set out on his own. Sasuke had had a hand in killing a few members of Akatsuki. He had even personally killed Orochimaru, although he deliberately waited until Orochimaru was too weak to properly defend himself.

Despite this, when Sasuke fought Madara, he wasn't outmatched so much as completely out of his league. Sasuke now realized that Madara didn't have the same arrogance that his comrades in Akatsuki did. Maybe it was his long life seeing entire empires rise and fall or maybe he was simply that smart, but for whatever the reason, Madara wasn't foolish enough to hold back. When he fought Sasuke, he didn't waste time with posturing or taunting. He quickly and effectively decimated Sasuke, not giving the younger Uchiha proper time to even form a strategy. This also confirmed something that he had suspected for a while, Itachi let Sasuke win in their duel to the death.

Orochimaru could see that his lesson was taking hold on his three new apprentices. "So now that you know the truth, what do you intend to do?"

It was Naruto who answered for the group. "We're going to get stronger. Strong enough to take on any S-class ninja who has the guts to take us seriously." His friends nodded in agreement.

The familiar grin found its way back on Orochimaru's face. "Good answer. We'll begin as soon as you three are back on your feet." Seeing the confusion on their face, he elaborated. "As I said, I've yet to train you all seriously yet, but that's about to change. Rest up, because soon we begin your real training." Orochimaru turned around and headed for the door. He paused to speak over his shoulder. "Make no mistake; I intend to make you three invincible." And with that, he was gone.

Scene Break

Orochimaru watched from the doorway as Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto trained themselves into the ground under the tutelage of several mud clones. Having watched the three interact with one another for nearly three years, Orochimaru found it eerie just how similar the three were to his own genin team.

Sakura was tough and demanding, taking no shit from her teammates and not afraid to smack them upside the head if necessary, much like Tsunade. Naruto with his bright personality, unrelenting cheerfulness, and sheer determination was a quintessential Jiraiya. And Sasuke's cool indifference towards his teammates' antics almost mirrored Orochimaru's own.

However, while there were most certainly similarities, there were also key differences. Sakura, who most certainly had an incredible temper, was far better at keeping it under control. She wasn't afraid to stand up to her teammates, but never seriously struck them unless forced to. While Sakura may have given her teammates an occasional smack upside the head, it was always a light blow and never done with any real malice. As opposed to Tsunade, who would often use put all of her (considerable) strength into her blows whenever she got angry, which was often.

Naruto had a calmness and self-confidence that Jiraiya most certainly lacked in his younger years. This allowed the blonde to be much more subdued than the Toad Sannin. Naruto knew when to back off with his bright personality so he never became annoying. Naruto and Jiraiya shared an iron will and determination, but Naruto didn't have a desperate desire to prove himself to everyone around him.

As for Sasuke, the indifference to his friend's antics was only the surface; it wasn't hard to see the obvious affection he has for his two friends hiding just below the surface. However, the real difference between Orochimaru as a teenager and Sasuke wasn't immediately obvious based on single observation.

Sasuke is a good friend.

It may seem inconsequential, but it highlights the difference between the three before him, and Orochimaru's own team. Jiraiya always tried to prove he was better than Orochimaru one minute and trying to be his friend the next. Tsunade had spent a good portion of her time attempting to gain Orochimaru's affections for herself, whereas Orochimaru was uninterested in associating with either of them. That wasn't the case for Sasuke. He very clearly wanted to be friends with Naruto and Sakura as much as they wanted to be with him.

Those friends had not only betrayed their entire village to join the Sound, but had also devoted themselves to creating a substitute vessel for Orochimaru to possess. Even if that had failed, they made very clear that they intended to fight tooth and nail to stop Orochimaru from taking Sasuke away from them. Naruto and Sakura had given up everything they had known, their entire way of life, to protect Sasuke. They had refused to allow him to enter such a dangerous situation alone. Sasuke was not only aware of this, but seemed eternally grateful as well.

It was surprising and more than a little humbling to the Snake Sannin. Orochimaru had considered his team doomed to fail from the start. With Jiraiya's antics and Tsunade's temper, Orochimaru always believed that one or both of them would eventually drop out and the team would fall apart. Instead, Jiraiya and Tsunade had both proven time and time again that they not only earned their rank, but deserved it as well. Salamander Hanzo hadn't named them the Sannin for nothing.

Although Orochimaru had been correct that the team would eventually fall apart, the irony wasn't lost on him that _he_ was the one who dropped out as opposed to his teammates.

However, watching as these three ninja worked so closely and so well together made Orochimaru wonder. What if he had been a better friend to his teammates? What if, instead of spurning them at every turn, he tried to spend time with them? Would things have been different than they were now?

Orochimaru is well aware he isn't on the right side of sane. If he were closer with his old teammates, perhaps he would have approached them with his deteriorating sanity? Maybe they could have helped him. Perhaps if he had taken the time to explain his viewpoint on why he wanted to perform his experiments on enemy ninja, his teammates might have stood with him against Sarutobi and Orochimaru wouldn't have resorted to using civilians Maybe Jiraiya and Tsunade would have done exactly as Naruto and Sakura had done, joining Orochimaru instead of staying in the village. Maybe the two of them would be here with him right now.

Orochimaru most certainly doesn't regret who he is or what he's done. If he meets his teammates again, he won't hesitate to use his full strength to kill them. After all, they would do the exact same thing, and they deserve nothing less than his full power. Orochimaru isn't a man who likes to wallow in the past. Studying and learning from the past is one thing, wallowing in regrets is quite another. Orochimaru believes that if you spend the entire time focusing on the past, then you can't focus on the future or its potential. As a man who planned to know everything, Orochimaru had no intention of letting the future pass him by.

Still… The Sannin couldn't help but look at the three enigmas in front of him and wonder, what could have been?

Orochimaru was pulled from his musings as Kabuto staggered up to him, clutching his head in pain. "Is something wrong, Kabuto?" The grey hair medic balanced against the wall and took a few deep breaths to steady himself.

"Lord Orochimaru, Sasori's seal has activated. He wants me to meet him at the Heaven and Earth Bridge near Hidden Grass Village in ten days. What shall we do?"

A grin spread across Orochimaru's face. "Why Kabuto, isn't it obvious? My dear old friend Sasori has invited you to meet, it would be rude not to attend don't you think? I'm sure he won't be upset if I happen to stop by as well, in fact…"

Orochimaru turned towards the practicing ninja. "Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke." He yelled, gaining their attention. "How do you three feel about a road trip?"

Scene Break

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke watched from deep in the forest as Kabuto approached the Bridge of Heaven and Earth. He was wearing a large cloak to avoid being identified. The three had a little difficulty seeing through the thick foliage, but didn't dare to get any closer less Sasori sensed them. Orochimaru, who was far better at hiding his presence, had smugly placed himself just inside the forest edge, barely a hundred feet from where Sasori and Kabuto were going to meet. The three knew exactly where he was and they still couldn't locate him, so they supposed he deserved to be smug about it.

"Guys, we need to think about how we want this to go down when Kabuto pops the puppet. We don't know if Sasori is still alive or not." Sakura whispered. She received two blank stares in return. She rolled her eyes and nodded towards the bridge. "What do we do if it's Yamato in that thing instead of Sasori?"

Comprehension dawned on her teammates and they considered their options. Sasuke spoke first. "We have to fight him. We've not only gained Orochimaru's trust, but he's teaching us things that I've never even thought possible. This is too valuable a position to give up."

Naruto reluctantly nodded his agreement. "Sasuke is right, we can't give this up. Besides, Leaf might not have sent Yamato this time and even if they did, we aren't supposed to know who he is."

Sakura shook her head. "If Leaf really did finish off Sasori and got the same tip I did, then Yamato is sure to be there. Remember, the Leaf will see this as an opportunity to get at Orochimaru and by extension, us. Yamato's wood jutsu can placate the Kyuubi, so he will definitely be sent."

Naruto snorted. "If they think just suppressing the Kyuubi will stop me then they're in for a rude awakening. I don't need my Bijuu to be strong."

"We know that Naruto, but they don't." Sakura agreed. "Also, he isn't going to be alone, Leaf is sure to send a team to retrieve us"

Sasuke nodded. "That pretty much guarantee's Kakashi's presence. Both as our teacher and because of his Sharingan, but who else?"

Naruto shrugged. "If Danzo manages to get the council to agree, then Sai might be there to try and assassinate us. Maybe Ino to play at Sakura's emotional side? On the other hand, they may just send a team of Jonin or even ANBU. The Kyuubi and the Sharingan are two of the Leaf's most prized 'commodities' after all." Naruto finished sarcastically.

Sasuke's eyes focused on the bridge. "We're about to find out. Here comes the target."

The others turned to see the hunched over form of Sasori's puppet, Hiruko, slowly making its way across the bridge. They stood ready as they watched Kabuto interact with the Puppet Master. A small microphone hidden on Kabuto allowed them to listen to the conversation by wireless radio. The three were impressed with how well Kabuto played the part of a demure, helpful subordinate; given how it was completely at odds with his normal, confidant self. He had spent close to seven years perfecting this ruse in the Leaf village after all.

Orochimaru apparently grew bored with the pleasantries and made his presence known. Kabuto made a good show of looking shocked at seeing Orochimaru. In fact, his face still held the look of shock even as he lashed out and decimated the puppet.

Team Seven's fears were confirmed. It was Yamato inside the puppet.

Kabuto, now back to his confidant self, laughed at the Leaf Nin's confused expression. Meanwhile, Orochimaru was staring at the destroyed remains of the wooden Hiruko imitation with interest, no doubt connecting the dots in his head about Yamato's identity.

"It's rude to try and lie to your superiors." Orochimaru mocked. "Why don't you bring out the rest of your friends?"

Yamato gave the signal to his team in the forest. Emerging on the bridge was Kakashi, Gai, Anko, and, surprisingly enough, Jiraiya. Sasuke whistled. "They really went all out on this one."

Orochimaru's chuckle flowed over the radio. "Well, well isn't this a nice surprise, my old teammate and student. How have you two been?"

Anko looked ready to pounce at any minute. Kakashi stepped forward before she could do something reckless. "Don't toy with us, Orochimaru. Where is my team?"

Orochimaru tilted his head, as if honestly pondering the question. "Your team? I don't…oh! Do you mean Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura? I'm sorry to inform you, but they stopped being _your_ team when they joined _my_ village."

Kakashi actually growled. "Where are they?"

Orochimaru lowered his head slightly before raising it again. "Wouldn't you like to know?" Judging by the way the Leaf Jonin recoiled; Team Seven assumed Orochimaru had activated his Sharingan. Kakashi's next statement confirmed it.

"You bastard! What have you done to Sasuke?"

Orochimaru was completely calm, the epitome of a polite host. "Why, I didn't do anything to Sasuke, he did this himself." While this was true, Sasuke had indeed made sure Orochimaru gained the Sharingan, Kakashi leapt to his own conclusion.

"Sasuke would never let you take control of his body!" Kakashi snarled.

"Orochimaru really knows how to set people off, doesn't he?" Naruto whispered. Sakura shushed him.

"I never said he did." Orochimaru replied. He raised his hand into the air and gestured forward.

"That's our cue." Sakura said.

"Oh, this is going to be fun." Naruto muttered sarcastically.

The three landed on the bridge next to Orochimaru, much to the Leaf Ninja's shock.

"Sasuke?" Kakashi asked in disbelief. "Then how does Orochimaru have the Sharingan?"

"I fail to see how that is any of your business." Orochimaru replied.

Kakashi's gaze settled onto his former students. "Why?" He demanded, "Why would you betray the village? Did you all forget the very first lesson I taught you?"

Sakura answered. "On the contrary, Kakashi. It was that lesson that made us decide to leave." Kakashi was clearly confused by this so she continued. "Those who abandon the mission are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash. Sasuke was determined to join Orochimaru; nothing could shake him from this goal. We sure as hell weren't going to let him walk into the snake pit alone." Sakura decided to leave out the fact Sasuke needed to join Orochimaru to learn how to properly remove the Curse Seal.

Kakashi clearly didn't know what to say to this, so Jiraiya took over. "Sasuke, seeking out your brother won't solve anything; you can't expect to revive the Uchiha clan like this."

Sasuke's expression darkened. "Don't think you understand what I want."

"You want to avenge and revive the Uchiha clan, but-"

"The Uchiha clan deserves to rot in Hell!" Sasuke snarled. The venom in his voice surprised everyone, even Orochimaru and Kabuto. Sasuke took a moment to calm himself. "Jiraiya, I assume you know the truth about the Massacre and of the clan's origins?"

Jiraiya did indeed know the truth, but was trying to figure out just how Sasuke knew. Orochimaru was unknowingly mirroring his thoughts. Sasuke sighed. "If you know the truth, then you know that they deserved every single horrible thing that was thrown upon them. I do intend to seek out my brother, but it's not to kill him, and I have no intention of reviving my clan. As far as I'm concerned, the world is better off without any Uchiha in it, and I intend for the clan to die with me."

Naruto could tell his friend didn't want to continue talking about his clan, so steered the conversation towards different matters. "Let's cut to the chase here. We have no intention of returning to Leaf village. You can either back away quietly or we can fight it out here and now."

Jiraiya had been so distracted by the fact that Sasuke knew the truth of the Massacre that he had nearly forgotten about Naruto. "Naruto, Sasuke was one thing, but you? Was all that talk about getting stronger to protect those you care about and become the Hokage meaningless? I thought you had better morals than this."

Naruto shrugged. He no longer desperately wanted to be Hokage. The blonde had only wanted the title to prove himself to those around him. At this point, the only people whose approval Naruto needed were Sasuke and Sakura and he didn't a hat to prove himself to them. "I am protecting those precious to me. Like Sakura said, Sasuke needed us here with him, as for people like Iruka, Ayame, or Tsunade? Let's face it; with Akatsuki collecting the Jinchuuriki they're safer away from me. Besides, _godfather_, you're hardly one to talk about morals considering you were conspicuously absent from the first thirteen years of my life."

That was a completely unfair blow, and Naruto knew it. Jiraiya was a very important man, both in the Leaf and out of it. His spy network was one of the greatest information systems in the entire world. Naruto should know, he'd inherited it before on the rare occasions when Jiraiya passed on. Jiraiya simply had too many responsibilities to focus on taking care of Naruto. Naruto understood this and had long since forgiven his godfather for his absence. The only reason he brought it up was to try and demoralize Jiraiya enough to retreat. Naruto really didn't want to fight his godfather.

It seemed to work. Jiraiya looked as Naruto had physically struck him and seemed to lose all will to fight. Kakashi seemed to be in a much similar state. Hearing Sasuke damning the entire clan destroyed a lot of preconceptions the man had about his student that needed to be reevaluated. Gai appeared to be willing to retreat if so ordered. Anko was definitely itching for fight against her old teacher. Yamato, surprisingly, also seemed to want to continue.

"I have very specific orders to bring Naruto back to the village."

Naruto snorted. "I'd like to see you try. You think your little wood jutsu will stop me?"

Yamato's eyes narrowed. "The Kyuubi's powers are useless against me."

"If I ever actually used the Kyuubi's powers than that might be threatening." This clearly threw everyone for a loop. Jiraiya spoke up.

"What do mean you don't use the Kyuubi?"

"Exactly that."

"Naruto, the Kyuubi is a powerful weapon that-"

No." Naruto cut him off. "The Kyuubi isn't some jutsu that can be tossed around at the right moments. It's a demon that will take any and every opportunity to kill and cause chaos. I have no intention of relying on its power and weakening the seal. I keep a tight lock on the Kyuubi and the seal will slowly drain its chakra away until there's nothing left. Like Sasuke with his clan, I intend the Kyuubi to die with me."

Jiraiya actually turned to Orochimaru for answers. To his surprise, he got one. "I offered to train him with the Kyuubi, but he told me the exact same thing. Since it would enrage Akatsuki to no end to lose the Kyuubi, I'm all for it."

With Yamato's trump now revealed to be useless, he seemed to be much more reluctant to fight. Anko was still eager for blood, but seemed to be weakening as she realized everyone else was backing down. Sakura decided to seal the deal.

"If you agree to walk away now, I'll remove Anko's Curse Seal." All eyes now focused on her. Jiraiya immediately spoke.

"It's not possible to remove the curse seal."

"She removed mine." Sasuke said, showing off his bare neck. The Leaf contingent was shocked. "We're Orochimaru's apprentices; do you think we wouldn't learn about the Curse Seal?"

Anko was now desperately fighting with herself, torn between wanting revenge on her teacher and the possibility of getting that _thrice-damned_ mark off her neck!

Sakura noticed Orochimaru's glare. He knew that Sakura had studied the Curse Seal extensively and had allowed them to remove Sasuke's since he no longer needed the pathway into Sasuke's body, but he wanted to know just what Sakura thought she was doing.

"Oh, what?" Sakura asked. "You don't need a body for Possession anymore and if she hasn't given into temptation now then she never will." That was a bold faced lie as Anko only had a few short years left before the dark whispers of the mark would drive her insane, something Sakura hoped to prevent now that she could properly remove the curse seal. "The only reason you have to leave mark on is to be an evil dick about it."

Orochimaru seemed to seriously debate with himself before groaning. "Oh, fine. You can take it off her, but expect poison in your next meal." That wasn't an idle threat. Orochimaru had poisoned their food multiple times to teach them to detect and fight against poison, or as he put it: to keep things interesting.

"You'll really remove it?" Anko's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Here and now if you agree to retreat. I would stake my honor on it, but that doesn't mean much coming from a Missing Nin, does it?" Sakura said with a self-deprecating smirk.

Anko turned to Jiraiya, desperation in her eyes. Jiraiya bit his lip. He desperately wanted to get Naruto back into the village, but he knew Anko had suffered under the Cures Mark for years. Being unable to help her had been a serious blow to his pride as a Seal master and as a man. Dammit, Tsunade was going to have his head for this one!

"Very well. We'll leave without a fight."

Sakura vanished, reappearing behind Anko before any of the Leaf Nin could react. She plunged a green chakra coated hand into Anko's neck. The hand seemed to vanish into the Curse Mark itself. Finding what she was looking for, Sakura pulled hard. Her hand reappeared clutching a white snake that had the head of Orochimaru. It had the hair and everything.

Sakura threw the snake into the air, where Sasuke immediately vaporized it with a blast from Amaterasu's black flames. Anko gingerly placed her hand on the back of her neck; the curse mark was gone. The proud woman fell to her knees, crying in relief now that the dark whispers of her teacher were finally gone.

Kakashi and Jiraiya had both recognized what Sasuke had done. "Mangekyou? How-"

"We're done here." Sakura cut him off, walking back towards her friends. Realizing that they were beaten without even fighting, the Leaf ninja retreated. Anko threw one last heartfelt thank you over her shoulder as she left.

"We just let five enemies get away who we could have killed." Orochimaru said.

Sakura shrugged. "Them being here proves Sasori is dead. Plus, we just sent five of the Leaf's finest away with their tails between their legs without throwing a single punch. That's going to piss off the council to no end, don't you think?"

The Sannin considered this. "Alright, we'll call it even." He said and the five went home.

Scene Break

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke approached the main Training Hall, only to run into Kabuto waiting inside.

"Sup, Kabuto?" Naruto asked.

"No clue, I'm afraid. Lord Orochimaru asked me to meet him here. He didn't say why."

"Huh, same with us. Wonder what it's about."

"I'll tell you." The four turned to see Orochimaru enter the room. He displayed the same serious expression he wore back when he dominated Team Seven after gaining the Cultivated Vessel.

"Your four are my most trusted and most powerful allies. With you four by my side, I believe I can achieve my goal of crushing Akatsuki and The Leaf much sooner than anticipated. However, there is another important step you all must take, but it can't be accomplished here. Be ready to leave in two hours. We're going to be gone for quite some time."

With that, Orochimaru turned on his heel and strode out the room. Bewildered, the four set out to properly pack and prepare.

The Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, Kabuto, and Orochimaru quickly set off once everyone was ready. Orochimaru was being oddly quiet. He ignored all attempts to discover where he was leading them and instead stayed focused on where he was going.

Day eventually gave way to night. Orochimaru showed no signs of slowing down or stopping. When the subject of setting up camp for the night was broached, Orochimaru informed them, in no uncertain terms, that it was out of the question.

They continued traveling for days, only stopping briefly for a quick rest and some food. Orochimaru was silent throughout the trip, only speaking when spoken to and sometimes not even then. The Sannin seemed deep in thought, though none of the four had any idea what about.

Finally, after nearly eight days of travel Orochimaru stopped. "We're here."

The four Sound ninja looked around, trying to figure out what was so important about this particular area. It was night, so their visibility wasn't great, but from what they could tell, it was just an empty plain as far as the eye could see. All of them failed to see what was so special that required their presence.

Orochimaru stood before them. "What I'm about to show you, is one of my most closely guarded secrets. I'm taking a risk in trusting you four with this, but I think you all have proved yourselves worthy. Before we enter I'll say this: you're on sacred ground, be respectful and don't do anything that could even be remotely regarded as a threat, understood?" The four nodded, unnerved by how serious the Sannin was being.

Orochimaru turned around and spread his hands out in front of him. He began to chant in a language none of his companions could recognize, it sounded disturbingly like snake hissing.

Orochimaru's arms slowly morphed into a pair of white snakes. The two creatures began to stretch forward, seemingly flowing in time to Orochimaru's chant. They formed a large circle on the ground in front of the Sannin. Both snakes suddenly latched onto small snake statues that the four observers would swear weren't there before hand.

The ground within the circle began to shift and churn, before something seemed to melt out of the earth, something big. A pure white snakehead, not the size of Manda, but still incredibly large, rose from the ground. The creature stared down at the five ninja with its unnerving yellow eyes.

"Who dares summon me?" The four observers nearly jumped out of their skin at the deep, commanding voice coming from the serpent.

"I am Orochimaru, The Sage of the Serpents. I request access for myself and my four apprentices." The raven-haired ninja said.

"Very well. Enter, Great Sage." The snake's jaws opened, so impossibly wide that the four behind Orochimaru feared it would eat him. The snake seemed to immobilize, turning from living flesh into white stone. Orochimaru retracted his arm serpents, turning them back into hands.

"Follow me." He said as he ducked under the ludicrously large fangs to enter the now stone snake's throat. The four hesitantly made their way forward, seeing a set of stairs leading down the throat into the depths below. "Quickly." The Sannin's voice floated up the stairwell. Shrugging to each other, they followed after Orochimaru.

They found themselves in a complex series of caves. While not as complex as Stone's cave system, it would be easy to get lost in. A faint purple mist seemed to permeate the entire cave, making it difficult to see more than a few feet ahead of you, not at all helped by the poor lighting.

Despite this, Orochimaru knew where he was going. He walked with purpose, never bothering to glance at any of the other caves, even when there were discomforting sounds emanating from them. Such as low rumbles, soft slithering, and even hissing that Naruto would swear sounded like depraved laughter.

The four apprentices followed Orochimaru up a flight of long stairs. They arrived into a spacious chamber at the top. The first thing that caught everyone's eye was the very large stone dragonhead mounted on the wall. The fierce looking creature looked ready to leap from the wall and swallow them. Clutched in its teeth was a large scroll. Emblazoned across the scroll were the words Dragon Ground Cave.

Beneath the statue was an incredibly large white snake. The creature's scales looked as thick as armor and his coils extended not only across the entire back wall, but along the sides of the room as well. Large gold and jewel encrusted rings adorned its body. Around its throat was a beaded necklace that held a large purple sphere. Atop its head was a turban with a black crescent moon attached to the front. The points of which were aimed upward and another purple sphere sat atop the turban. Clutched in its jaws was a long cigarette holder and a cigarette that was spewing out the purple smoke that permeated the entire cave.

Orochimaru led them to a large black pedestal before the giant snake. To his apprentices' utter shock Orochimaru got down on his knees and bowed his head to the floor. They were stupefied. In all the time they had known him, none of the four had ever seen Orochimaru bow to anyone or anything, not even Manda. Still, they weren't so shocked that they didn't quickly copy his actions.

The serpent spoke. "Orochimaru, my child, it has been many years since you last came here. What business do you have with me?

Orochimaru spoke without raising his head from the floor. "Great White Sage, Father of all Serpents, years ago I ventured here and completed my training as the Sage of the Serpents. These four behind me are my most trusted apprentices. I ask that you allow them to train in the ways of the Sage just as I did."

Once again the four were floored as it began to sink in just where they were. They were in the Sacred Homeland of the Serpents, the equivalent of the Exquisite Tree Mountain for the toads or the Damp Bone Forest for the slugs. Simply being allowed to enter was an incredible honor, but to be given the chance to learn the Sage techniques? It almost overwhelmed them.

"Hmm. An interesting proposition. Tell me, why do you wish for all four to learn as opposed to only the best among them"

"Father, I can honestly say that there isn't a clear 'best' among them. They each have their own strengths that they utilize to their fullest potential. I assure you that all four are worthy and capable of becoming Sages."

"I will be the judge of that. Come closer, my children let me get a good look at you." The snake said calmly.

Slowly, each of the four apprentices made their way towards the massive snake. The Sage leaned in close to each of them, staring intently into their eyes, searching their very souls. Whatever he was looking for, he seemed to find it in all of them.

"Yes. Each powerful, yet each unique. Yes, you four will make fine Sages. They have my permission, Orochimaru. These four will become Serpent Sages."

Orochimaru got to his feet. Thank you, Father. Are my old quarters still available?" The Sage nodded. "Alright, follow me you four." Orochimaru began making his way towards the door.

Before following him, the four apprentices bowed once more to the Sage. Naruto voiced everyone's thoughts "Great White Sage, thank you for accepting us."

The beast gave a small chuckle. "Please, my child, call me Father Basilisk."

Scene Break

Orochimaru led them to a large living quarter. It was fairly Spartan, very little in the way of decorations or furniture. Orochimaru sat down upon a couch situated near a fire pit. Four other couches formed a ring around the fire pit. The four apprentices situated themselves on the couches as they waited for Orochimaru to speak.

"I apologize for springing this on you four, but I do honestly believe that you four are ready for this."

Kabuto spoke. "Lord Orochimaru, I understand why you brought Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke, but why am I here?"

"Kabuto, you have served me faithfully and devoutly ever since I took you from Root." Team Seven shot Kabuto a surprised look at this, but they were ignored. "I fear I have done wrong by you after all these years. I should have brought you here long ago, but my own paranoia prevented me. The Possession technique is a harrowing process and it takes careful maintenance before my power properly returns after a shift. I feared that without your medical knowledge on standby, something could go wrong during the process. Now that such Possessions are no longer a necessity, I felt it was time for you to take the next step in your own training."

Orochimaru sighed and scratched the top of his head. "It's also time for full disclosure. I'm about to tell you what Akatsuki is gathering the Bijuu for. Rather, what the madman running Akatsuki is gathering them for. A man known as Pein gives Akatsuki members their orders. He holds the legendary Rinnegan eyes and is a considerable force to be reckoned with. Pein is a practically an army of one, well and army of six actually, but we'll get to that. He hopes to gather all the Bijuu to create a weapon that will literally monopolize war."

"The weapon will be so great in power that ninja and armies will be rendered moot, as control of this weapon is all you would need to rule. He is aware that this will lead to quite a few decades of bloodshed, but believes that once people understand the power of the weapon, a proper ruling body will be formed to control the weapon and this will lead to peace."

The four took a moment to process that before Naruto spoke. "That's fucking stupid." All eyes turned to him. "First off, he's talking about casually killing millions upon millions of people. This war for control of the weapon will be worse than any of the Great Shinobi wars. After all that bloodshed, he hopes that people will eventually just sit down and talk civilly about it? For God's sake, Hidden Cloud village tried to kidnap the Hyuuga heiress, while they were signing a peace treaty with Leaf! Then they demanded the kidnapper's killer, as retribution or they would start another war. This Pein guy thinks that peace talks will go better with the equivalent of a giant bomb sitting in the center of the room just waiting for one guy to lose his nerve and set it off? Hell, even council meetings within the villages end with half the people overtly threatening one another. This is giving like toddlers a bunch of knives and hoping they won't end up killing each other."

The other occupants were certainly impressed with how easily Naruto laid out the plan's problems for all to see. Orochimaru continued.

"I agree, Naruto, however it won't happen. Pein may act like he is in charge, but there is another who pulls the strings from the shadows. A madman calling himself Uchiha Madara." Team Seven made sure to act surprised and confused by this news, even though they knew of Madara's existence from Sasuke.

"How is it possible for one of the Founders of The Leaf to still be alive?" Kabuto asked.

"He isn't." Orochimaru said simply. Now Team Seven really were confused.

"I thought you said that Uchiha Madara was running Akatsuki?" Sakura asked.

Orochimaru shook his head. "I said a man _calling_ himself Uchiha Madara is running Akatsuki. The real Madara is well and truly dead. I don't know who he actually is, but he isn't the real Madara. He simply plans to use that name to attract the attention of the world to his plans."

Sasuke couldn't believe it. _'That lying orange motherfucker! I've got a Lightning Blade with his ass's name on it next time I see him!'_ Sasuke calmed himself enough to ask his next question. "Alright, so what does… whoever the fuck he his, want with all the Bijuu?"

"He also goes by the alias of Tobi, for now let's just call him that. He wants to condense the power of all nine Bijuu into their original form, The Ten-Tail Juubi."

Sakura said what was on everyone's mind. "Why on God's green earth would he want to do that?"

"You think Pein's plan is insane? Wait until you hear this. He plans to absorb the Juubi, thereby becoming its Jinchuuriki. Once he has control of the Juubi's power, he intends to use it project his Mangekyou Sharingan onto the moon and create and Infinite Tsukuyomi. That way, he'll be able to control everyone and everything, creating a world without war, crime, or unhappiness."

Everyone one was quiet for a moment before Sakura managed to concisely and accurately sum up everyone's feelings. "Holy shit."

"Indeed." Orochimaru agreed.

This…this is…is just." Naruto gave an aggravated sound from the back of his throat as he tried to articulate his feelings. After a moment he started again. "Let's get the obvious out of the way; the moon is only visible to half the earth at a time, what happens to the other side of the world?"

Sasuke put his own question forward." Not only that, but what would the phases of the moon do to the technique? Would something as benign as a lunar eclipse or even just a new moon break the spell?"

Sakura was next. "It's even worse than that. The human brain doesn't have the mental power to process all that information. Even if he just gives a universal command to 'be happy' what about all the psychos in the world who aren't happy if they aren't murdering someone? He would have to micromanage out the ass to keep this up."

"Not only that," Kabuto spoke for the first time. "But wouldn't this Tobi character also fall victim to this illusion if he casts it on the very moon? If he can avoid it as simply as hiding inside or underground, then he's going to have a lot of angry Stone ninja on his hands."

"Man, fuck Pein." Naruto said. "He's the patron saint of reason and rational thought compared to this maniac. There are a million and two different things that can go wrong with this plan. Can he use this jutsu while asleep? If he has to stay awake for the rest of his life then he's going to have a bad time with this little plan of his."

Orochimaru gave a satisfied nod. "I'm glad you all can see the inherent problem with this plan. My own reasons for wanting to stop Tobi are much simpler, I hate the thought of being controlled. I refuse to simply stand here and put my life in the hands of a man actually insane enough to think up a plan like this."

"So what do we do?" Sakura asked.

"We grow strong. Tobi may be utterly insane, but his power is very real and very dangerous. Each of you will be training in nature chakra to not only increase your own power, but attain the form of Sage mode." Orochimaru replied.

"What will you be doing while we train, my Lord?" Kabuto asked.

Orochimaru chuckled. "We will soon be equals, Kabuto. You no longer have to refer to me as your lord. As for me, I'll be doing some training of my own. The Possession jutsu had an unfortunate side effect; the weaker bodies I possessed were unable to properly handle Nature Chakra. Now that I have a way around this set back, I plan to retrain myself in the ways of the Sage mode."

"You had power that you weren't able to use and you didn't do anything about it? That doesn't sound like you." Naruto remarked.

Orochimaru shrugged. "Oh, I found little ways around the problem. My greatest was creating a special seal that could absorb Nature Chakra naturally and give whoever wore it a bastardized version of the Sage mode. Care to guess what it is?"

Sakura figured it out first. "The Curse Seal! That's how it's able to grant a person so much extra power and change their form. I always thought it was a chakra generator of some sort, but instead it's a filter than can absorb nature chakra. The transformation is a result from the filtered chakra warping a person's cells. That's brilliant!"

"Got it in one." Orochimaru smiled. "However, while I am indeed proud of being able to give out Curse Marks however I wish, I wasn't the one who created it. Well, I created the seal, yes, but the ability to absorb nature chakra and transform naturally actually comes from a boy named Juugo."

Sasuke twitched slightly upon hearing that name. No one noticed. "The boy's entire clan are born with the ability to absorb nature chakra, but it cost them their reason. Entering Sage mode would cause them to go berserk and try to kill, well, everything. Juugo was one of the worst. He's a calm boy normally, but he isn't able to control when the transformations happen. He wiped out an entire village and all of his clan during a rampage. He approached me in hopes that I would find a way to help him stop the transformations, but I've been unsuccessful."

"It can't be stopped by removing the seal?" Sakura asked.

Orochimaru shook his head. "As I said, the seal was my invention to replicate the transformation, Juugo does it naturally. He doesn't actually have a seal anywhere. It was actually my studies on Juugo's clan and abilities that originally led me here to the Dragon Ground Cave in the first place."

The Sannin got to his feet. "At any rate, it's very late and we've been traveling for days. Get some rest, because you're going to need it. The training to become a Sage is brutal at best."

Scene Break

The four apprentices stood in a fountain of purple venom. Large stone snakeheads spewed out the venom from above, but they gave it no mind. All four of them were up to their ankles in the purple liquid. Each had their eyes closed in concentration and their hands pressed together in front of them.

A major downside to training with Nature Chakra was that if one lost control of the power, then they would turn into a snake before becoming stone. The Sage Venom, as it was called, would allow anyone who came in contact with it to be able to see and use Nature Chakra. This allowed the four to practice synching up their chakra with the Nature Chakra and preventing the transformation.

If a person lost control, then they simply had to be removed from the venom to halt and reverse the transformation. It was a much safer method than actually drawing on Nature Chakra before being ready to properly counteract the transformation. Using the venom helped prepare their bodies for the real thing.

Naruto broke first. His eyes became slits and scales began to form along his cheeks. He quickly dove out of the venom and allowed the alterations to fade away. Naruto being the first to transform surprised no one; he had such high levels of chakra that it took incredible effort to match it evenly with the Nature Chakra.

Naruto would have liked to get back in the venom and try again, but it was a very strict rule that one could only be exposed to the Sage Venom once a day. Too much exposure could cause the transformation to trigger much more rapidly. Sighing in defeat, Naruto headed out of the room to practice his wind techniques

Sakura was the next to transform. Her near perfect Chakra control allowed her synch up with the Nature Chakra, but she still had the smallest reserves of her team and ran out the quickest. Her reserves were easily larger than a Jonin's, but the Nature Chakra was incredibly demanding, even for her.

Sakura contemplated waiting for the other two to finish, but decided against it. Sasuke and Kabuto would still be in the Sage Venom for quite some time. Sasuke's constant exposure to the Curse Seal gave him a big head start in controlling Nature Chakra, even if it was the bastardized version from the curse seal. Kabuto on the other hand seemed to take to Nature Chakra like a fish to the water. When asked about it, Kabuto simply said it came naturally to him.

Whatever the reason was, the two of them would be almost another hour before they finished. Sakura decided to go spar with Naruto.

Scene Break

"Alright you four. Today is an important day it's time for you to select you familiar. A new batch of snakes was born to today and each of you are going to select one to be your partner."

Naruto spoke. "Did you pick a familiar when you were training?"

Orochimaru rolled his eyes. "Yes, and Manda and I have been at each other's throats ever since. Take my advice; pick a partner you can get along with, not whoever happens to be the strongest."

Chuckling at their teacher's annoyance, the four followed him to the new hatchlings. They found a brown snake surrounding a nest filled with newborns of various colors. The snake spoke as they entered.

"Orochimaru, my dear, how have you been?" The clearly feminine snake asked, before she spotted the four behind him. "Oh! These must be the new potentials I've heard so much about. Please dears, come closer. My little ones have been dying to meet you."

The four approached the nest warily. Naruto leaned down to get a closer look at the snakes. Almost immediately, an orange snake shot out of the nest and landed in the blonde's hair. Naruto freaked out for a moment before he realized the small snake was simply curled up in his hair and was humming contentedly. Black, swirling patterns covered its entire body.

"Oh my, I'm sorry dear. Tatsuya has always been rather…bold."

Naruto glanced up towards the snake, who leaned down enough to look at him. "Tatsuya, huh? You want to be my partner?" The snake's head bounced up and down in excitement. Naruto grinned. "Alright then, it's settled. Welcome aboard, partner."

Emboldened by Naruto's success, the other three leaned in eagerly. Sakura's eyes were drawn to an emerald green snake, with dark diamond patterns along its back. Sakura held out her hand, asking permission. The small snake slid into her hand and curled into a happy coil.

"Her name is Tanith. She's a very sweet little thing." The mother snake supplied.

"Tanith. That's a very pretty name. I'm Sakura. It's nice to meet you." Sakura held out her finger, and Tanith wrapped her tail around it. The pink haired girl giggled in delight and knew she had her partner.

Sasuke's eyes had made contact with those of a deep red serpent with black horizontal stripes across its back and hadn't broken it yet. Not needing any words, Sasuke nodded in satisfaction and held out his hand. The snake ignored the hand, instead crawling out of the nest towards Sasuke's foot. The small snake proceeded to work its way up Sasuke's body until it came to rest on his shoulder.

"Stubborn as stone, that one. Always has to do things his own way" The mother snake remarked. "He goes by Nidhogg." Sasuke gave another nod, thoroughly satisfied with his new partner.

Kabuto continued to look through the hatchlings, but felt no connection with any of them. Out of the corner of his eye, Kabuto noticed a snake that wasn't in the nest. Instead, it was curled up in the corner, all alone. It was a very pale brown, practically gray, and had no other markings on its body. He pointed to the creature. "Why is that one over there?"

The mother glanced at the snake in question. "Oh my, that's the runt of the litter. She's too weak to be of much use to anyone, and her incredibly small size doesn't help." Indeed the snake appeared to be half as big as the others. "We're probably going to have to put her down, the poor thing."

Kabuto got to his feet and moved towards the snake. The creature noticed his approach and began to shiver in fear. Kabuto bent down closer. "It's okay, little one." He soothed. "I'm not going to hurt you, alright?"

His words seemed to calm the creature as it stopped shivering. It instead looked up at Kabuto with curiosity. Kabuto gently reached down and scooped up the snake, the tiny thing barely bigger than the palm of his hand. He scratched it under its chin and snake seemed to sigh in contentment.

"What is its name?" He asked the mother.

"She has none. As I said, she is going to be put down. There are plenty of others who would be far better suited for-"

Kabuto cut her off. "No, I want her. If she has no name, then I'll give her one." Kabuto thought for a moment, before the color of the snake's scales brought a happy memory to the surface. "I'll call you Nonou. Does that sound alright?" The snake nodded in happiness.

Orochimaru thanked the mother snake and left with his apprentices. As they walked away with their new companions, Naruto decided to comment. "I didn't take you for the paternal type, Kabuto."

Kabuto merely smiled. "I don't know where I was born or who my parents were. I just remember wandering aimlessly without any memories or knowledge of how to survive. A woman running an orphanage took me in and took care of me. She was the closest thing I ever had to a mother. She gave me a home, a family, and a name. Her kindness has always stuck with me, as such; I'll always have a place for outcasts and strays, who have nowhere else to go."

The other three looked at Kabuto in awe, seeing the medic in a completely different light. Sakura spoke up next. "She sounds like an amazing woman. What was her name?"

Kabuto wore a smile of fond remembrance. "Her name was Nonou Yakushi."

Scene Break

Sakura stood in the center a large room. The walls, ceiling, and even parts of the floor were pockmarked with alcoves and tunnels of various sizes that all connected to each other in one way or another.

Naruto sprang from his hiding spot in one such alcove, hoping to strike Sakura from behind. The blonde swore and dodged to the left to avoid being burned by a blast of fire. Sakura grinned. "Thanks, Tanith."

"I've got your back." The snake replied.

The four snake familiars had grown rapidly. Each was now close to seven feet long and could properly speak English. Sakura and Tanith absolutely adored each other. Tanith's sweet and caring nature belied a temper that could rival Sakura's, though the snake rarely, if ever, showed it. Sasuke's partner, Nidhogg, barely ever said anything. The red serpent believed that actions spoke louder than words, and would only speak when absolutely necessary, and even then it was only to Sasuke. Naruto argued with his snake more than anyone else, most likely due to the fact the two were clones of each other; loud, brash, and entirely too smart for their own good. The two who got along the best were easily Kabuto and Nonou. The two were incredibly protective of each other and would move mountains to help each other given half an opportunity.

The familiars had also each developed their own elemental affinities to complement their partners'.

"Water style: Liquid Bullets!" Kabuto shot a barrage of water spheres at Naruto, hoping to catch the blonde while he was off guard.

"Tatsuya! Shield!"

"Earth Style: Stone Skin!" The orange snake quickly curled himself into a flat disk as his skin turned to rock. Naruto used the solid snake to block the incoming water projectiles. With the water attack neutralized, Naruto surrounded his familiar with a spinning disk of wind and hurled him like a shuriken.

"Wind Style: Serpent Slicer!"

The projectile tore through the air, faster than Kabuto could hope to dodge. Fortunately, his partner was well prepared. Nonou wrapped herself around Kabuto's chest and fired a blast of wind off to the side.

"Wind Style: Quick Dodge!" The force of the recoil knocked the glasses wearing ninja to the side, causing Tatsuya to harmlessly pass them by. Instead of digging into the far wall, Tatsuya's spinning momentum sent him flying across the wall like a demented wheel. The wind covered snake carved a groove into the wall as he headed directly at Sasuke.

Sasuke, who was up against the wall as he prepped a jutsu to use against Sakura, grunted in annoyance and sprang off the wall. Despite the setback, he still managed to fire off his attack.

"Thunder Style: Shock Pulse." A pulsating orb of lightning shot from the Uchiha's palms toward his pink haired teammate. Sakura easily dodged the jutsu, only to get drenched by an Aqua Jet attack from Nidhogg. Now wet and annoyed, Sakura was about to use her own jutsu when Tanith suddenly shouted.

"Sakura! Jump!" Without hesitating, Sakura leapt high into the air. Glancing behind her, Sakura saw what had spooked her familiar. The trail of water from Nidhogg's attack led directly to where Sasuke thunder ball impacted. If Sakura had stayed still, she would have been electrocuted by the conduction.

Naruto ran and jumped into the air to catch his spinning familiar, who was still shooting around the room. Unfortunately, the blonde tripped and fell straight into one of the various tunnels that littered the chamber. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Naruto's voice faded away; apparently he landed in a deep tunnel.

Sakura flipped herself upside down and planted her feet on the ceiling. She slammed both hand on the stone roof. "Earth Style: Rock Dome!" Two half domes formed, one over Kabuto, and the other over Sasuke. The two halves slammed together, trapping the two ninja and their familiars within.

A small hole opened at the top of the dome. Tanith quickly reared up over said hole. The diamond patterns along her back began glowing red as she revved her attack. "Fire Style: Cremation Statio-"

Tanith's jutsu was interrupted by Naruto and Tatsuya as the two somehow fell out of a hole on the ceiling. The two landed directly on top of the emerald colored snake, causing all three of them to roll off the dome.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head as he looked back and forth between where he fell in, and where he fell out. "Where the hell did I just come from?"

"Get off me!" The irate fire-serpent yelled.

"Oh! Sorry, Tanith!"

Sakura sighed as she dropped to the ground and cancelled her jutsu, revealing Kabuto and Nonou about to blow open the dome with a drill attack. "Let's just stop for now. The mood is gone." The others all agreed.

Orochimaru suddenly strode into the room alongside a messenger snake. Both looked very serious.

The snake spoke. "We have just received a message from the Toads at Exquisite Tree Mountain. The Toad Sage, Jiraiya, is dead. He was killed by the man known as Pein."

Naruto inhaled sharply at this news. Jiraiya almost never died in any of the loops they had lived through. The Sannin's incredible skill and power along with his luck ensured he always came out on top. To know such a powerful man was dead, especially one with such a close connection to Naruto, was a harsh blow.

As Sakura and Sasuke quietly comforted their friend, Kabuto asked a question. "Excuse me, but I was under the impression that the Toads and the Snakes were enemies. Why are you in correspondence with one another?"

"We were enemies." The messenger replied. "But we had to learn to get along with each other and the slugs after Orochimaru here teamed up with Jiraiya and Tsunade. Even after the Sannin split, it was decided that it would be mutually beneficial to keep a line of contact available if need be." Kabuto was about to ask how they communicated when Naruto interrupted.

"Orochimaru, I know you didn't get along well with Jiraiya. However, he was my godfather and one of the last few family members I had left. With your permission, I would like to build a memorial shrine to properly mourn his passing."

Orochimaru stared down and Naruto, his expression unreadable. Finally, he turned away and flippantly said. "If you want to mourn that womanizing fool then I won't stop you. Do whatever you want." Naruto gave a nod of appreciation, but the Snake Sannin was already leaving.

The shrine was quickly constructed. It was a small little thing. A red ornamental cabinet with some burning incense surrounding a picture of Jiraiya giving a cock eyed smile supplied by the toads. It didn't seem nearly enough to mourn the man, but it brought a measure of comfort to Naruto as he prayed in front of the small alter.

Sasuke and Sakura were likewise praying beside their teammate. Sasuke thought he saw Orochimaru watching them from the doorway at one point, but when he turned to look the door was empty. Shrugging it off as a trick of the light, Sasuke returned to his prayer. Once the three were finished, they decided to turn in early with Kabuto, they weren't in the proper mood to try and control the Sage Venom today.

Late into the night, after everyone had gone off to sleep, a lone figure approached Jiraiya's shrine. Orochimaru stared down at the picture of his former teammate and one time friend. The picture of Jiraiya giving a large wink and smile summed up Jiraiya so perfectly it wouldn't surprise Orochimaru if the Toad Sage himself had chosen it.

Orochimaru slowly sat himself down in front of the shrine. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a bottle of Sake and two cups. The Sannin silently filled both glasses and set them down, one in front of him, and the other in front of Jiraiya's picture.

Orochimaru set down the bottle and raised his glass, as if offering a silent toast to the deceased Toad Sannin, before downing the alcohol. He placed the empty cup down in front of him and looked at the Jiraiya's still full cup with a sad smile. The snake Sannin got to his feet and gave one last look at the Jiraiya's picture.

"Farewell, old friend. You were a worthy foe."

With that, Orochimaru turned and left, leaving the bottle, the cup, and his memories with Jiraiya.

Scene Break

Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kabuto, were bowing before Father Basilisk on the same black pedestal they had met the fearsome snake. Every snake in Dragon Ground Cave had gathered in the chamber to witness this momentous occasion. The day four new Sages were officially instated.

Father Basilisk spoke. "Naruto, Sakura, Kabuto, Sasuke. You four came to us with the hopes of becoming Sages. Today that dream becomes a reality. You four have braved the hardships of our training and come out all the stronger for it. Now, step forward and receive my blessings."

Naruto stepped forward first. "Naruto, you are swift and determined as the wind. I grant you the title of Dragon of the Sky."

Naruto bowed. "Thank you, Father Basilisk." Sakura was next.

"Sakura, you fortitude and strength could outlast the very ground we walk on. I grant you the title of Dragon of the Mountain."

Sakura bowed. "Thank you, Father Basilisk." Now it was Sasuke's turn.

"Sasuke, your power and precision are as deadly as they are unstoppable. I grant you the title of Dragon of the Storm."

Sasuke mirrored his teammates bow and thanks. Finally, Kabuto stepped up.

Kabuto, you are fluid and maneuverable, able to adapt to any situation that you may encounter. I grant you the title of Dragon of the Sea."

With all four now officially crowned as Sages, the hall erupted into cheers from the various snakes lining it. The snakes, having no hands to clap with, instead thumped their tails on the ground. The sound of a single person clapping was very easy to pinpoint as only one other person had the hands required to do it.

Orochimaru approached the four new Sages. "You four have all done spectacularly. Each of you trained hard and have earned the right to be called Sages." He paused for a moment. "I'm very proud of all you."

"Orochimaru, Dragon of the Inferno. You are still these four senior and I expect you to look after our young Dragons."

Said young Dragons all loudly proclaimed that they could take care of themselves, but Orochimaru just smiled. "I will, Father Basilisk." He turned serious. "Are you all packed? I'm afraid it's time to leave."

The four nodded reluctantly and gave a few last waves goodbye to the snakes of the Dragon Ground Cave. As the five Dragons headed down the corridor to the exit, they discussed their next move.

"So what happens now?" Sasuke asked.

"It time we showed those Akatsuki punks just who they're messing with." Naruto replied.

Orochimaru nodded in agreement. "Yes, you four are easily on equal footing with Akatsuki now. There isn't any point in delaying the matter any farther. It's time to crush Akatsuki."

Before the five could make it to the exit, a loud voice drew their attention. "Oi! You all aren't leaving without saying goodbye, are you?" Four very large snakes approached the group. Naruto grinned as he replied to the one who had spoken.

"Of course we weren't, Tatsuya. We wouldn't just leave our friends high and dry like that." Naruto leaned forward and butted his head against Tatsuya's much larger one affectionately.

"You guys will summon us often, right?" Tanith asked as Sakura scratched the snake's head.

"Don't you worry those pretty green scales, Tanith. You all are going to get to see some serious action soon. Trust me." Sakura grinned.

Nidhogg said nothing. Instead he reached forward with the tip of his tail and tapped Sasuke on the forehead. Sasuke grinned and did the same his familiar with his two fingers.

Kabuto and Nonou didn't bother with words. Kabuto had his arms around her neck and Nonou rested her chin on top of his head. Both had their eyes closed as they drew comfort from each other. Kabuto eventually managed to pull himself away and look up at his partner. "You be ready for anything, there's no telling when I'm going to need you to back me up. I expect you three to take care of her, alright?"

The last bit was directed at the other familiars. Tatsuya nodded his head. "You can count on us to look after her."

Nonou looked towards the other four ninja. "I want you four to look out for Kabuto and keep him safe."

Naruto gave a big thumbs up. "Don't worry, Nonou. Kabuto will be safe with us."

With their goodbyes said and their mission ready for them. The Five Dragons stepped out into the world. The five were about to show Akatsuki just who they were dealing with.

"You four ready?" Orochimaru asked. He received four nods in return. "Alright then, let's go!" All five vanished into the air as they took off towards their destination.

Akatsuki had better watch out. These Dragons were out for blood.

Chapter End

A/N: Wow. This chapter really got away from me. I rarely write with a set path or goal, I prefer to let the details work themselves out as I'm writing. Sometime this causes the chapters to get completely out of control, like this one. I didn't mean for this to be nearly as long, but I just kept coming up with more things to say. Oh well, I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you next time.


	4. The Chunin Exams

A/N: Something I feel I have to clarify before we begin; each loop is self-contained within its own chapter. I'm not going to do continuations on a loop from a previous chapter. The loop doesn't end once the chapter does, not by a long shot, but once the chapter ends, that's the end of our involvement in that loop. The loop might get referenced, but we're not actually going to go back to it.

The loop where the gang joined Orochimaru is finished, I'm not continuing it. I might revisit the premise of them going to Orochimaru's side, but it will be in a different loop with different situations. I'm sorry if this disappoints some people, but I feel that I'd done all I could with the chapter and decided to end it there. What happens to Team Seven after the chapter ends is for you to decide

Another thing of note is that Team Seven does _not_ know Orochimaru's Body Possession technique. They gained his trust, but the Possession technique is one that Orochimaru would never share with anyone for any reason. So even if Team Seven created Vessels of themselves with, say, the Sharingan, they would have no way of transferring themselves to the Vessels.

I'm not exactly happy with this chapter, but it was fun to write. I might have gone a little nuts with the fight scenes, though. At any rate, let's begin.

EDIT: I cleaned this chapter up a bit and changed the Rasengan names at the end because they were stupid and Sakura's mother's name into something that actually sounds Japanese and is related to flowers in some way. I'm aware Sakura's mother is actually a ninja and named Mebuki, but since she is a civilian in this story I decided to give her a different name to distinguish her from her canon counterpart.

Start

When it comes to looping time-travelers, there's nothing more important than variety. Reliving the same monotonous events, the same conversations, and the same situations; could drive a person insane. Variety is the spice of life and status quo is the starch. To Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke, Variety was as important as food. They required regular nourishment to remain fully functioning.

That being said, it was also important to have certain…traditions to perform. Small things that don't have much impact, but can bring comfort when performed and if these traditions can have certain levels of variety, so much the better.

Whenever the loop reset itself, the first thing Sasuke did upon waking up in the morning was to desecrate every single Uchiha Clan Fan in the district. The entire wall surrounding the Uchiha district had red fans painted every ten feet. Sasuke took great pleasure in picturing his back-stabbing, traitorous relatives rolling in their graves because of his actions.

It's worth noting that even in this little ritual, Sasuke managed to add in some precious variety. Sometimes Sasuke simply painted over all the fans so they were no longer visible. Other times he slapped an explosive tag onto every single fan and set them off simultaneously. That always attracted the attention of the ANBU, who would arrive to see Sasuke laughing maniacally while watching the compound go up in smoke. When Sakura and Naruto would later visit him in the psych ward, Sasuke would maintain that it was worth it. If Sasuke felt vindictive, he would cover all the fans with photos of the First and Second Hokage. That one had to have hurt his pompous clan's pride, and probably would have gotten him arrested if any of them were still alive.

Feeling particularly childish today, Sasuke grabbed a paint brush and some black paint from a tool shed. He then proceeded to cover the fans in dirty pictures. People having sex on one fan, random genitalia on the other, sometimes even something as simple as swear words.

Once he reached the last fan, Sasuke took extra time to paint something more elaborate. Sniggering the entire time, Sasuke painted Tobi, covered in rags and sitting in a ditch. He was clearly blind, with a pair of dark glasses over his mask (Sasuke still had no what the bastard looked like) and a thin pole in his hand. Various people were pointing and laughing at him as rats nibbled on his feet and birds pecked at his head. He sat beneath a sign that read 'I ruined everything for everyone.'

Once finished, Sasuke took a step back to properly admire his work. He briefly contemplated adding a moon with the Senju clan symbol emblazoned on it, but decided to get dressed and head to the academy instead. He would bring Sakura and Naruto around later to show off his work.

Scene Break

The first thing Sakura did when she woke up on the day of team selections was cut her hair.

In the original timeline, so very long ago, Sakura had cut her hair to escape from a female Sound genin's grip on her hair. Sakura paused for a moment to try and remember just what that girls name was. It was something with a K, but Sakura just couldn't think of it. It didn't really matter; the girl never lived beyond the Chunin exams anyway.

When the loops had begun and Sakura found herself with long hair again, she didn't really give her hair style much thought. At the time, she had much bigger problems to concern herself with. These days, however, Sakura always cut her hair short. It was easier to take care of when it was short, and it stayed out of her way in combat without having to waste time putting it in a ponytail. Besides all that, Sakura thought she looked good with short hair, goddammit!

The Sound girl…Kin, that was her name, had demonstrated how easy it was to take advantage of an opponent's long hair. The lesson stuck with Sakura and as way of thanks, she made sure to teach the same lesson to the long haired Sound Kunoichi whenever possible. You know, in the spirit of fairness and all that.

As Sakura sat herself down at her vanity, she contemplated how short she wanted her hair, and in what style? Like Sasuke, Sakura knew the importance of variety and experimentation. Sakura couldn't help but chuckle as she remembered the time she had shaved her head completely bare. The look on everyone's face, including Sasuke and Naruto, amused Sakura to absolutely no end. She had even gotten a new nickname to replace Billboard Brow; The Never Ending Forehead.

Still chuckling to herself, Sakura decided against another chrome dome appearance and instead cut her hair into a simple bob cut that left her hair just above her chin. Satisfied with her new look, Sakura tied her leaf headband across her forehead and got dressed for team selections.

Scene Break

The first thing Naruto did when he woke up on a reset was to go clothes shopping. Naruto liked orange, really he did, but he had a limited wardrobe due to his meager amounts of money as an orphan. Naruto could only afford a couple of shirts and pants along with his jacket. Take five shirts, four pairs of pants, one jacket then multiply by that by infinity and you had too much orange for any one man to take, even Naruto.

As he approached the store, Naruto quickly shape-shifted into Sasuke before entering. Feeling rather…red today, Naruto purchased a pair of black pants and a maroon shirt. Instead of paying in cash, Naruto rattled off the Uchiha Clan bank account number, which the clerk happily accepted. All three time-travelers had the number memorized and used it around town whenever they felt like it. Sasuke was completely in favor of blowing all the Clan's money on pointless shit.

Once, on a whim, they went on a massive bender, trying to see if they could spend all the Uchiha Clan funds. Nine days later all three of them finally gave up on trying to empty the seemingly limitless funds and instead wondered what the hell they were going to do with three boats, five mansions, four restaurants, countless works of art, enough weapons to start the Fourth Great Shinobi War, and a giant statue of Naruto dressed in the Hokage robes and being carried by the four previous Hokages. None of them can quite remember where the statue came from, just that it was very well made. Naruto mounted it dead center in the Hokage's office, with permanent sticking seals that prevented it from being removed without taking the floor with it.

Once he was properly dressed and back in his original form, Naruto headed off towards the academy.

Scene Break

Sasuke was unsurprised to find that he was the first of his team, well future team if you wanted to get technical, to arrive at the academy. He lived a good deal closer to the academy than Naruto or Sakura over in the civilian districts did, after all. Without much else to do, Sasuke seated himself down on the far left seat in one of the empty three man desks.

Others began to slowly trickle in, though Sasuke paid them no mind, and instead chose to rest his head on his forearms and feign sleep. He only bothered to raise his head once Naruto walked in. The blonde's new wardrobe, along with his presence in the graduating class, raised a few eyebrows. A few more were raised when Naruto sat himself down next to Sasuke and gave the Uchiha a nod hello. Instead of saying anything, Sasuke simply returned the nod and set his head back down. Neither seemed intent to say a word to each other, simply enjoying the silence.

Said silence was broken as Ino strode into the room. The blonde seemed confused, no doubt wondering why she hadn't run into Sakura on her way to the academy, but pushed the thought out of her mind as her eyes settled on Sasuke. Ino quickly worked her way over to his desk.

"Naruto, I want to sit next to Sasuke."

Naruto looked up at his fellow blonde, arching a brow in confusion. "So?"

"So? So move." Ino said, rapidly growing annoyed.

Naruto just shook his head. "Sorry, no. This seat isn't for you."

Now Ino was getting angry. "Well who is it for then?"

"Me."

Ino whirled around at the sound of Sakura's voice, prepared to argue with her rival, only to stare in shock at Sakura's hair. Sakura used the blonde's stunned silence to slip past her. Naruto obediently slid into the seat on his right and allowed Sakura to have the center.

Ino finally managed to get over her shock. "Sakura, what did you do to your hair?"

Sakura gave Ino a confused look. "I cut it. Isn't that obvious?"

"But why? Sasuke likes girls with long hair."

Now it was Sasuke's turn to act confused. He raised his head to stare at Ino. "I do?"

"Well, of…course…you…do…" Ino trailed off in confusion.

Sasuke just shook his head. "I don't know who you heard that from, but I'm pretty sure I never said anything like that."

Ino was now desperately racking her brain as she tried to pinpoint exactly where she had learned that Sasuke liked long hair. Sakura had said it when they were younger, but Ino had already known because… where the hell did she hear that from?

Iruka chose that moment to walk into the class, prompting everyone to take their seats. A few students murmured about Mizuki's absence, but Iruka ignored them. Instead, he began his speech that talked about how proud he was of the class and explained the new responsibilities they now had as ninja of the Leaf.

Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura immediately tuned the teacher out and began talking to each other. The three had heard the speech enough times to recite the entire thing backwards while drunk. Naruto got the ball rolling with the question he asked at the start of every loop. "What do you guys want to do this time?"

The sheer possibilities of the time loop could make a person's head explode if they tried to contemplate them all at once. The three had learned that it was best to give themselves a goal each loop, a project, something they could work towards, otherwise they ended up just floundering around and that never ended well. It didn't matter what the goal was, just so long as they had it to focus on. Be it something like becoming the Hokage, getting as high a gambling debt as humanly possible, or simply being the first person to use every toilet in the Elemental Nations, the important thing was to have some kind of goal or ending.

Like the last loop, where they the three of them split up and tried to see who could get the biggest bounty put on their head. Naruto and Sakura became infamously well known for assassinations and general villainy. However, Sasuke ended up winning with his unorthodox tactic. He simply got a list of every influential noble who had a 17 year or older daughter. He then proceeded to sleep with every single one of them. The bounty put on Sasuke's head by protective fathers and outraged mothers was ludicrous. Sasuke had laughed like hell when Sakura and Naruto saw how much higher his bounty was then theirs.

Sakura decided to voice her thoughts first. "It's been a while since we just sat back and let events happen normally. Why don't we take a loop to follow our original timeline before the loops began?"

The idea appealed to Naruto. "That's not a bad idea; it would give us a chance to observe our enemies when they think we're just weak genin as opposed to actual threats. We can use The Hubris to gain information from them." Sasuke was the one who coined the term 'The Hubris' to describe the arrogance that Orochimaru explained had been the death of many a powerful ninja.

Sasuke spoke next. "I'm good with that plan. I wanted to fail Kakashi's test and move to Hidden Cloud, but we can do that next time."

Sakura smirked. "You just want a rematch against Killer Bee after he schooled you in that rap battle."

"He got lucky." Sasuke insisted. "Next time I'm gonna rap circles around that eight-tailed reject."

Naruto and Sakura shared a laugh at Sasuke's annoyance over losing so badly against Bee, especially when Sasuke was the one to challenge Bee. Sasuke had hoped that he could discourage Bee from rhyming constantly by beating him in a rap contest, but it turns out that Killer Bee can really rap when he wants to. Sasuke didn't know what hit him.

Naruto grew serious. "Do you think we should kill Kakashi?"

The first time the three had killed Kakashi during the bell test had been an accident. They had underestimated their own skill while overestimating Kakashi's. That was the day they learned that the Hubris isn't limited to S-rank missing ninja; Jonin elites were just as susceptible. The long period of peace had caused Kakashi to neglect his training, making him a good deal weaker than he should have been. It was Sasuke, having witnessed a confrontation between Orochimaru and Kakashi during the Chunin exams, who figured out that Kakashi realized how weak he had become and set out to start training seriously again soon after.

The three hadn't been sure what to do after they killed Kakashi during the bell test. They expected to be demoted or even imprisoned for their actions. Instead, they were each immediately promoted to Chunin and allowed to take on B and A rank missions alone. After all, if they could kill a Jonin elite, then they didn't need to waste time with D-rank chores, did they?

Another bonus to killing Kakashi was they got left alone. Killing a comrade during training wasn't an unheard of experience, but killing a superior, especially one as well known as Kakashi, most certainly was. All the other ninja were nervous around the three and mostly stayed out of their way. If the three time-travelers ever wanted some peace and quiet from the village, the best way to get it was to kill Kakashi.

After mulling it over, Sakura decided against killing Kakashi. "It would draw to much attention to us, not to mention alienate the entire village. Let's just play the extremely skilled genin angle. We can use that to milk some techniques out of the other Jonin."

Her two friends nodded. It was impossible to get teaching if they killed their instructor. The Jonin teachers especially, who were all friends with Kakashi, were particularly cold towards them. The three of them would never forget how angry Gai was with them when he learned they had killed his Eternal Rival. Sasuke's smart assed remark about Kakashi not being eternal anymore certainly hadn't helped matters.

With their new goal of playing genin set, the three returned their attention back to the class. They realized that the teams had already been announced, but were unconcerned. The teams were always the same unless they did something really drastic early in the morning.

Once Iruka left, saying that their teachers would arrive shortly, Ino immediately zeroed in on Sakura. "Alright Forehead, what's gotten into you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Ino."

Ino waved her hand, gesturing to Sakura's appearance. "Why did you cut you hair? How come you're sitting next to Sasuke? Why are you wearing your headband over your forehead? Didn't you say to me that you would only wear it like that when you could face me as a true ninja?"

Sakura blinked for a moment before responding. "Wow. Um, okay. To answer your questions in order, I like it like this, because we're friends, and I am facing you as a ninja of the Leaf right now."

Ino was about to respond when Asuma walked into the room. "Team 10, you three are with me." Ino shot Sakura a look that clearly said this wasn't over and followed her new teacher out the door. The other Jonin arrived shortly thereafter to collect their Genin squads. Team 7 rapidly found themselves sitting alone in the room. Finding no need to discuss their plans further, all three decided to simply entertain themselves until their silver haired teacher arrived.

Scene Break

Kakashi Hatake was incensed. He was an elite Jonin of the Leaf and had been since he was twelve years old. So why on Earth did he have to waste his time on a couple of snot nosed Genin? Looking over the three's bios and reports during the academy hadn't helped his opinion any.

The girl was the first ninja in her family and while she was top of the class academically, her physical capabilities left something to be desired. Not to mention her apparent crush on the Uchiha, Lord knows that was going to be fun to hear about constantly. Speaking of the Uchiha, he was the rookie of the year and held everyone around him in contempt. He was obsessed with killing his brother and was more than likely a hair trigger away from snapping and going rogue. Last and most certainly least was the dead last of the year, Naruto Uzumaki, little to no actual ninja capabilities, completely immature, and obnoxiously loud.

In other words, it was disturbingly similar to Kakashi's own genin squad, hence his reluctance. Kakashi's own team had fallen apart, and he didn't much care to watch it all happen again. True, they weren't in a time of war, but Kakashi knew it was Minato's gentle but firm leadership that kept his team functioning for as long as it did. Kakashi would openly admit he was nowhere near as good a leader as his Sensei was.

Kakashi wondered how long it would take the Leaf to find him if he dyed his hair and moved to Sand.

Deciding to face the music, Kakashi took a deep breath and opened the door to the classroom that held his team. He was surprised to find the three teenagers standing at attention in front of the classroom. Once Kakashi entered the room, the three moved with perfect synchronization to stand before Kakashi.

"Are you Kakashi Hatake?" Kakashi was slightly taken aback by the authority in Naruto's voice. It sounded more like a command than a question. He didn't let these feelings show, however.

"I am. Sorry for being late, but a black cat crossed my path and I had to go the long way around." Kakashi expected the usual reaction to his ludicrous excuses. Derisive snorts, rolled eyes and accusations of being an idiot. Instead, the three nodded.

"Perfectly understandable, sir." Naruto said. "Our line of work is a dangerous one, and we can't afford something like bad luck striking at a moment of crisis. It could result in the deaths of you and your entire squad." Sasuke and Sakura nodded in agreement with Naruto.

Kakashi wasn't sure what to make of the three enigmas before him. Naruto spoke again. "We are honored to have the famed Copy-Cat Kakashi as our teacher. Under your tutelage, I have no doubts that we will learn the three essential ninja requirements."

Now Kakashi was really confused. "The three what?"

"To travel through the darkness without sound." Sasuke suddenly spoke.

"To infiltrate, steal, and escape without notice." Sakura added.

"To kill without a trace." Naruto finished.

Kakashi was aghast. What the hell were they teaching at this academy? Yes, those were all things a ninja should learn, but not academy students or freshly minted Genin. Kakashi had learned those things when he was their age, but that was during a time of war. In peace those sort of harsh reality should be saved until a ninja reaches the rank of Chunin at least! Kakashi was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of snickering. He focused on the genin to see that they were all trying not to laugh. Kakashi finally clicked.

"Are you three having me on?"

The three quickly lost their fight against laughter and only managed to give a few quick nods in response. Kakashi heaved an over dramatic sigh. "Well, my first impression of you three is that I hate you."

"We apologize, Kakashi Sensei." Sakura said as the three regained control of themselves. We grew tired of waiting and Naruto insisted we do something to mess with you. I hope you won't think too badly of us."

Kakashi gave a non-committal grunt and pointed towards the ceiling. "Meet me on the roof."

Scene Break

It was actually nostalgic to sit on the bench located on the academy roof while Kakashi leaned against the railing, silently observing them. It had indeed been too long since they last let events progress naturally or even stuck around long enough to be on Kakashi's team. Sakura was right; they all needed a good classical refresher loop.

Kakashi decided to get started. "Let's introduce ourselves. Tell me you name, your likes, dislikes, and your dreams. You first, Blondie."

Naruto didn't bother asking Kakashi to go first, since all he would get out of the man was his name. It wasn't like there was anything about Kakashi they didn't know already, anyway. Naruto opened his mouth to give some token answer that would have reflected his old personality, but hesitated. Instead of giving a rehearsed line, Naruto decided to ponder the question and answer it seriously.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. My likes are numerous and varied. To list them all would take all day. Suffice to say that I love this village, I love the warm sun on a hot summer day, and I love my two best friends in the world, Sasuke and Sakura. My dislikes?" Naruto gazed off for a moment as images of the Akatsuki members flitted through his mind. "I suppose I dislike people who are powerful enough to make real positive differences in the world, but instead use their abilities for their own personal gain. My dream is to become a person that people can respect, a person who people can look up to and be willing to trust with their lives."

Kakashi stared at Naruto, shocked that the supposed 'immature blonde' could be so calm and introspective. Sasuke and Sakura, aware that Naruto was answering seriously, decided to respond in kind. Sasuke held out his hand, prompting Sakura to go next, ladies first, after all.

"My name is Sakura Haruno. Like Naruto, I have a lot of things I like in the world; I'm particularly fond of early spring when the flowers begin to bloom. Of course, there's nothing I love more than my two boys here." Sakura said as she shot Sasuke and Naruto a smile. "I don't like imprisonment."

"Care to elaborate on that?" Kakashi asked.

"Of course. I don't like the thought of something being impossible. In my mind, there isn't anything you can't do if you try hard enough. Anything that would try to impede you from achieving the impossible is trying to impede your freedom. As far as I'm concerned, that's called imprisonment. My dream for the future is to become head of the ANBU Division" Kakashi was definitely surprised, that was almost as lofty a goal as wanting to become Hokage.

Sasuke was next. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I don't have as many likes as these two, but there are still quite a few things I'm fond of. I enjoy cool autumn evenings, thunderstorms, and these two morons. Though why I like them is anyone's guess."

"Love you too, Sasuke." Naruto quipped. Sasuke ignored him.

"My dislikes are…complicated. I don't like noble idiots who are too damn loyal to their village that they'll carry out any command given to them, without thinking about how much it could hurt the people who care about them. My dream for the future is to give the Uchiha clan the legacy it deserves."

Kakashi thought Sasuke was referring to reviving the clan and restoring its prestige as a great clan, but it was actually the exact opposite. Sasuke planned to air out all the Uchiha's dirty laundry for the entire world to see, allowing his clan to be known and reviled as the traitorous fools they were, before hopefully being forgotten by all. Also it would really piss off Tobi, so there's that as well.

Kakashi wasn't really concerned with the Uchiha clan reputation at the moment, as he was busy trying to figure out who had tampered with the academy records. The three young genin hopefuls sitting before him were not the same children he read about. It was also glaringly obvious that these three were very different from his Genin squad. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Alright, my name is Kakashi Hatake. My likes are inappropriate for children, my dislikes are too violent for children, and my dreams are none of your business. Now that that's settled," Kakashi steadfastly ignored the three teenagers laughing softly at his antics. "Meet me tomorrow at Training Ground 3. Don't eat anything; you'll just throw it up. Later."

Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving the three time-travelers alone. Naruto glanced at his friends. "Bell test tomorrow. How awesome should we be?"

Sakura shrugged. "I have no desire to do a bunch of D-ranks until Wave. Let's wipe the floor with Kakashi and convince him that we're tough enough for C-ranks from the start."

"Sounds good."

Scene Break

Kakashi arrived at training ground number 3 over two hours late. He expected to be yelled at for his tardiness, but was once again surprised by his potential students. Instead of simply waiting around for him to arrive, all three of them appeared to be training.

Naruto had five different clones throwing kunai at him from various directions while he practiced his dodging and agility. Sasuke, to Kakashi's shock, was standing out on top of the lake running through a series of combat forms, gracefully flowing from one form to the next. Sakura was currently performing handstand push-ups on top of a log post.

Since all three were consumed in their own exercises, none of them had noticed Kakashi's arrival. He theatrically cleared his throat, quickly gaining their attention. Sasuke hopped off the lake and ran over. Naruto dispelled his clones with five rapidly thrown kunai. Sakura flipped herself off the log and made her way over as well.

Kakashi eyed the three standing before him, still not entirely sure what to make of them. Swallowing his questions for the moment, Kakashi reached into his pocket and removed what appeared to be two small sleigh bells on two red strings.

"If you three think you're actually genin, then you're wrong. You have to pass _my_ test before I'll even consider teaching you." Kakashi tied the bells to the front belt loop of his pants. "It's a simple test, really. All you have to do is get a bell. Anyone who doesn't get a bell will be sent back to the academy."

Kakashi expected to see outrage and distrust among the three graduates. After all, he just said that at least one of them was guaranteed to fail. The three shot quick glances at each other, but Kakashi could detect no signs of discord or distrust among them. Interesting.

Sakura raised her hand. "Sensei, you said that anyone who doesn't get a bell fails. Does that mean that if none of us get a bell then we all fail?"

Kakashi smiled. Smart girl, already contemplating and preparing for the consequences of potential failure. "Exactly right, all three of you would be sent back to the academy."

"How far?" Naruto asked.

"Excuse me?"

"You say 'back to the academy' but what does that entail? Does that mean repeating the last year, or having to start the entire academy over again?" Naruto questioned.

Kakashi was caught off guard by the questions, having not really bothered to consider it. "You'll have to talk with the Academy instructors about that. If you three fail, then you're not my problem anymore." Kakashi said simply. Naruto nodded.

"Now that everyone's questions are answered, let's get started." Kakashi pulled out a small alarm clock and turned to place it on one of the large posts sticking out of the ground. "You all have two hours to try and get a bell. Once the alarm goes off, it's over. Understand?"

Kakashi received three nods. "Good. Begin."

No one moved.

Kakashi sighed, he had hoped that at least one of them would be smart enough to take cover and wait for an opportune moment to strike, but apparently not. Kakashi decided to humor them as he pulled out his copy of Make-out Paradise. "You three are seriously going to fight me head on?"

Naruto snorted. "Of course not. We know we wouldn't stand a chance against you. So we're going to cheat."

Kakashi arched an eyebrow. "Oh? And how do you three intend to do that?"

Naruto smirked. "By using my transforming two of my clones to look like Sasuke and Sakura to distract you."

A shadow suddenly fell over Kakashi. He looked up to see Sasuke plunging towards him, Kunai drawn. Kakashi prepared to intercept the Uchiha, only to stare in shock as he realized that Sasuke had the Sharingan activated. Kakashi was so busy wondering when Sasuke had gained his Sharingan that he was taken completely by surprise when a pair of hands shot out of the ground and grabbed his ankles. Kakashi was pulled straight into the ground before he could free himself, leaving only his head above the dirt.

A hole opened up in the ground next to Kakashi and Sakura pulled herself out, shooting the Jonin a grin as she held up both bells. "Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu." She laughed.

Sasuke landed next to his teammate giving her a high five of congratulations. Naruto dispelled his two clones and joined his friends. Kakashi stared up at the three of them for a moment, deciding to free himself before asking his questions. Pulling himself out of the ground and brushing himself off with as much dignity as possible, Kakashi started his interrogation.

"Alright, when did you replace your teammates with clones?" He asked Naruto.

"When you turned around to put the alarm clock down." Naruto grinned. Cursing lightly for being so careless, Kakashi quickly put the rest of the plan together in his mind. Naruto distracted Kakashi with the clones so Sasuke could launch his own distraction for Sakura to trap him. This led to Kakashi's next question.

"Where did you learn the Headhunter Jutsu?" Kakashi asked Sakura. The girl shrugged.

"I found it while we were looking through a couple of jutsu scrolls we found lying around the Uchiha compound." The fact that she found said scroll in another life was left unsaid.

Now Kakashi was even more confused. "You've been to the Uchiha compound?"

"Sure. The three of us train there all the time."

Kakashi just shook his head. "Okay, you three are acting completely against the information I had pertaining to you. You train with them in the compound?" He asked Sasuke. "I thought you and Naruto hated each other."

"Nah, Naruto's my best friend. We just like competing with each other."

Naruto patted Sasuke on the back. "Yeah sensei, there's nothing wrong with a little healthy competition. I would never wish any harm on Sasuke." Sasuke shot Naruto a glare as he reached behind his back and pulled off a piece of paper that said 'Heave a rock at me' but just rolled his eyes and tossed the note away.

Kakashi just shook his head. These three were certainly similar to his team, but they all clearly didn't need a war in order to learn how to get along with each other. There was little point in tying Sasuke and Naruto to the posts since the three had used team work to stunning effectiveness. Not only would Sakura share her food with them, she would probably just cut them down as well. "Very well, the three of you pass. Since it's still early, I want to spar with you three and get a good feel for what level you three are at. We'll start missions later in the week, understood?"

"Yes, Sensei." The three chorused.

"Good. Let's get started."

Scene Break

The time passed relatively quickly. Kakashi only had them do an occasional D-rank mission and had them doing C-ranks practically from the get-go. It was pretty standard guard detail, only having to deal with random bandits, and quite frankly, Tora was a bigger threat to Team 7 then any sort of bandits at this point, if only because the animal had to be taken alive.

Kakashi had been slightly unnerved by how easily his students killed; they showed no signs of shock commonly found after a person's first kill. Sasuke and Naruto defended that they had both seen too much in their lives to be horribly scarred by killing and Kakashi was forced to concede the truth of that. The same couldn't be said for Sakura, who had a much more morose answer.

"I'm a ninja, sensei." She had whispered after being confronted on her behavior. "I understand that to be a ninja, you have to be ready to kill at a moment's notice. I hate killing, really I do, but I'm not afraid to if the situation demands it. I knew what kind of life I was committing to when I entered the academy. I wouldn't have even taken the graduation exam unless I was prepared to kill."

Seeing the young girl calmly explain herself while cleaning blood off her weapons filled Kakashi with both revulsion and an odd sense of pride. Sakura's records made many references to her incredible intelligence, but they did the girl no justice. Kakashi had heard more than a few older ninja snort that young girls like Sakura were just kids playing ninja, but when Hatake looked at Sakura, all he saw was a Kunoichi of the Leaf and a damn good one at that.

They still had some interesting moments, such as when Sasuke used his knowledge from his time in Cloud to know that a certain mission would put them into the same town as Yugito Nii, who was on the way back to Cloud from an undercover mission. That had certainly been an interesting little encounter; Yugito had almost attacked Naruto on sight, the Nibi warning her host exactly what resided within Naruto. Fortunately, Sasuke was good friends with Yugito, or at least he had been in another life, and knew how to calm the Jinchuuriki down. Team 7 and Yugito had an amiable talk over dinner, but Yugito had to leave early the next day, promising to stay in touch.

Besides the encounter with Yugito, the only thing of note was the mission to Wave. With all four of them fighting, the demon brothers and Zabuza were killed relatively easily. Haku had flown into a rage after her master was killed, trapping the four of them in her Demon Ice Mirror technique. Naruto had simply created clones outside of the dome and used Replacement to get the team out and fill the dome with clones. Naruto then used the Exploding Clone Jutsu to detonate all of his clones at once, annihilating the ice maiden.

Once they got to Wave, it was a simple matter of 'stumbling across' Gato's headquarters, sneaking in, and assassinating the short bastard. Without Gato looming over the country like a bad smell, workers returned to the bridge and construction was finished in no time. The team left the newly christened 'Bridge Seven' and returned to the Leaf without further incident.

Scene Break

Soon, the Chunin exams arrived. Kakashi of course enrolled Team 7, since they had proven that they were well above genin level, he was sure they would be fine. After receiving the forms, Naruto got dragged off to 'play' ninja with Konohamaru and his two friends. Without much else to do, Sasuke and Sakura decided to play as well.

The three time-travelers were currently playing the part of evil ninja who were after the brave heroes that had stolen a valuable set of plans from the enemy stronghold. Team Seven found it oddly entertaining to be doing something as childish as chasing down a trio of laughing children. Of course, the three time-travelers weren't using anywhere near their real speed, but it was still fun none the less.

Konohamaru and his two friends attempted to lose their pursuers by taking a sharp turn down a different street, only to run smack dab into Kankuro and his sister, Temari.

"Watch where you're going, you brat." Kankuro growled, reaching down to grab Konohamaru's collar. The Sand Ninja yanked his hand back when a kunai flew over Konohamaru's head and nearly impaled the puppet-master's hand.

"I suggest that you watch yourself." Naruto stated calmly. Kankuro snorted.

"Why should I?"

Naruto shrugged. "No reason, really. Just that you're foreign ninja visiting our village and you were about to threaten the grandson of the current Hokage." Kankuro jumped away from Konohamaru as if he was poisonous. "I'm glad you understand the situation. If you had laid a finger on him, it would have been an international incident. Believe me, being the children of the Kazekage wouldn't help matters at all."

Temari glared at her brother, angry that he had drawn attention to them without even being in the village for a day. She was about to apologize for her brother's actions, when Gaara suddenly landed in front of her. "G-Gaara!"

Gaara ignored her, instead focusing his attention on Team 7. "Mother wants your blood." Temari and Kankuro shot a glance of fear towards each other. If Gaara went berserk in the middle of the Leaf over a month before the Invasion, it could ruin everything.

Naruto, without a trace of fear, stepped directly into the homicidal red-head's personal space. "Really? Well, what are you going to do about it?" Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke began to release their chakra in waves around them. Not enough to be visible, but enough to be felt by those who knew how. Gaara took a step back as Mother began screaming in his head to leave the three ninja before him alone. Gaara bowed his head, turned, and walked away.

Temari and Kankuro were shocked at their brother's behavior, amazed that Gaara _hadn't_ killed someone he claimed Shukaku wanted dead. The two followed after Gaara, mentally swearing to steer clear of these three.

Naruto stared at the retreating Sand ninja, only to have Konohamaru's latch onto his legs. "That was so cool, Boss!" Konohamaru gushed. The boy practically had stars in his eyes.

"You sent those scary guys packing!" Moegi agreed.

"It was most impressive." Udon drawled.

Naruto gave the three kids a wry grin. "Thanks, guys. I'm afraid we're going to have to end our games here. Sasuke, Sakura and I need to rest up for the Chunin exams tomorrow, sorry."

Konohamaru grinned. "We understand, Boss. Go kick their ass." Naruto just smiled.

Scene Break

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura made their way up the stairs of the testing center towards the third floor. They came across a crowd of people standing around a door, including Team 8, 10, and Gai, with two people seemingly standing guard around it.

"Is that Kotetsu and Izumo?" Naruto asked.

"Oh my god, I forgot all about this." Sakura whispered as she watched Kotetsu back hand Lee to the floor. She had to suppress her laughter, since she knew Lee barely even felt that blow and was playing up the 'helpless newbie' angle, just like they were.

"Hey, why are teams Gai and 8 here?" Sasuke asked. "Can't the Byakugan see through illusions?"

"Not passively." Naruto replied. "It's like your Sharingan; it needs to be consciously activated in order to see through illusions."

"Should we interfere?" Sakura asked.

"I don't see why not. It will increase the number of potential teams in the Forest of Death and give us more chance for a variety match up in the third exams." Sasuke smirked. "Besides, this is a perfect opportunity to gloat, and I am an excellent gloater."

Sasuke strode over to the crowd, quickly making his way to the front. "You might as well drop that pathetic illusion. Some of us _real _ninja have business on the _actual_ third floor." Smug superiority exuded from Sasuke's every pore. Naruto and Sakura were quietly impressed with Sasuke's grandstanding abilities; they really were a sight to behold.

Kotetsu snorted, allowing the illusion to drop. "Not bad, but it's not enough to just see through a cheap illusion." The disguised Chunin shot forward, attempting to kick Sasuke in the head. Sasuke didn't even move, since he knew that Lee would intercept the blow for him anyway. Sure enough, the green clothed genin caught Kotetsu's foot in mid-air.

Sasuke shot Kotetsu a smirk, silently laughing at the no doubt uncomfortable position the Chunin found himself in. Once Lee was sure a fight wasn't about to break out, he dropped Kotetsu's leg. Sasuke wandered back over to his team, while Naruto kept his eyes on Team Gai.

Neji was quietly berating his teammate for showing his real skill, while Tenten was asking why he would do such a thing. Tenten threw her arms up in the air when Lee glanced over towards Sakura and blushed. As Lee made his way over towards the time-travelers, Naruto whispered to his pink-haired teammate. "Incoming."

"You name is Sakura, correct?" Lee asked. "Would you like to go on a date with me? I would protect you with my life." Lee gave a perfect wink, thumbs-up, smile sparkle combination, just like he had seen his sensei do.

Sakura had to resist the urge to laugh; Lee was so cute when he tried to be charming. "You're name is Rock Lee, right?" Lee nodded enthusiastically. "It's really sweet of you to offer, but I'm not really interested in dating right now. I want to focus on my training and getting through the Chunin exams. I hope you understand."

Lee did indeed understand. "Yes! You are correct! Now is a time to grow stronger and pass the Chunin exams! I see that your flames of youth burn brightly and I wish you the best of luck in the coming trials!"

This time, Sakura did laugh. "Thank you, Lee. Good luck to you as well." Lee walked back towards his team, head held high. He had been rejected, but only because Sakura wanted to focus on training and grow stronger, Lee could respect that.

The other teams had already made their way to the actual third floor, so Team 7 hurried to catch up. They found Kakashi waiting for them in front of the examination room. "I don't really have much to say to you three. You all have proven your worth as ninja of Leaf and I know that this exam won't be much of a problem for you. All I can say is give em' Hell."

With a collective nod, the three strode past their teacher and entered the exam room. A room full of glaring ninja greeted them. A voice suddenly cried out. "Sasuke!"

The Uchiha expertly slid to the side, causing Ino nearly fall to ground as her attempted hug missed. "What's up, Ino?" Sakura asked, trying not to laugh at the blonde's embarrassment. Ino quickly composed herself and turned to Sakura, while the rest of the Rookie Nine gathered around.

Ino hadn't seen Sakura since the team selections. The blonde had been outraged when she learned that Sakura was already going on C-rank missions. Ino didn't care about the mission ranks so much as the fact that Sakura was practically alone with Sasuke out on the road for weeks at a time. It just wasn't fair! Still, Ino had no intention of letting Sakura know about her jealousy.

"Hey there, Forehead. I'm surprised you had the guts to show up here." Ino smirked.

"I could say the same about you. It's pretty brave to enter the Chunin exams when you've only been genin for a couple months." Sakura grinned.

Ino scowled. "I've been training very hard to earn my place here." Sakura knew that was a complete lie, Ino wouldn't do more than the basics of training without being forced to.

"Really? Well I'm glad. I was afraid you might be hurt during the exam. People have died in the past you know, but if you've been training hard, then you should be fine." Sakura pretended not to notice Ino's face going pale.

"Yeah, well you just better watch your back. We're in the big leagues now." Ino said, trying to sound brave. Sakura outright laughed at that. Sakura had gone up against S-class enemies more times than she could remember during these loops. When it came to a comparison of fighting the most dangerous men in the world, and the Chunin exams? Suffice to say, Sakura had a very different definition of 'big league' than Ino did.

"Oh please. There isn't a single person in this room who could be a threat to me." Sakura proclaimed loudly. It was true, since Orochimaru wasn't actually a part of this group yet and Naruto and Sasuke didn't count obviously.

Ino gasped as the glares from the rest of Chunin hopefuls intensified. Sakura turned to the crowd and raised her voice. "That's right, you heard me. I'm not afraid of any of you."

"You all are causing a racket." A calm voice stated. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all smiled as they saw Kabuto approach. "Everyone is very tense right now; you could end up making some enemies."

Sakura snorted at that. "I meant what I said. Besides, if they can't handle stress on this level then they'll crack like eggs out in the field." Kabuto had to fight down a laugh at that.

"Be that as it may, it's better to remain quiet and observe, instead of making a big spectacle of yourselves."

Naruto laughed. "I disagree. When people are so distracted staring at a huge spectacle, they often miss the knife about to slit their throat." The blonde shot a malicious grin towards the crowd to emphasize his point.

Kabuto gave Naruto an odd look. "An interesting theory, but a dangerous one. People are on hair triggers and you might be doing nothing more than painting a target on your back. For instance, the newly created Sound village has sent a team of genin and those guys must be nervous as hell considering their village is so small and unknown.

Team Seven fought the urge to laugh as Kabuto ragged on his own village; Kabuto was never above taking a few cracks at himself, even if most wouldn't get it. As expected Dosu, Kin, and Zaku suddenly charged towards Kabuto for daring to insult their village.

Naruto instantly created three clones that intercepted the Sound Genin and put each of them into a submission hold, halting their attack. "I know you're nervous, but try to keep a lid on that temper, would you?" Naruto mocked. The Sound Trio looked ready to break free and continue their attack, but Ibiki and the test proctors chose that moment to make their entrance.

"Everyone sit down and shut up, the written test is about to begin." The head of the Torture and Interrogation department's deep voice boomed. Seats were quickly assigned and the rules of the test were explained.

The test was nowhere near an obstacle for the Team 7. Not only could they pass by literally doing nothing, but they could easily answer the questions as well. They each decided to find different ways to entertain themselves while the other saps took the test seriously.

Sasuke simply flipped his paper over and began doodling. A few random scribbles soon evolved into a massive fight scene. Sasuke hadn't really had any picture in mind, but recognized what he had created. It was a scene from another life, The Battle for Lunatic Mountain. Sasuke stood on a ledge with only one arm, having lost his other to the Mizukage's Lava technique, launching a massive electrical dragon towards said Mizukage. The Mizukage, Mei, was spewing forth a living golem made of magma, meeting his dragon head on.

Sakura was below Sasuke's ledge, she was standing ready, trying to defend Onoki, the third Tsuchikage from Gaara. Onoki had collapsed from a heart failure in the middle of battling Gaara and Sakura had rushed to his aid.

Naruto was above both of them, fighting in tandem with Killer Bee against Tsunade and Jaraiya. Killer Bee had flown into a rage after his brother, Ai, had been killed and was surrounded by the full Demon 8-tailed Cloak. Bee was attempting to cover Naruto as the blonde lunged forward with a Wind RasenShuriken. A terrible storm raged around them, and though you couldn't see it, there were battles taking place all over the mountain.

Sasuke flipped the test right side up and clenched his teeth, trying to block out the memories that were rapidly resurfacing. That had been a horrible battle, and not something he wanted to reflect on. Sasuke had fought in more wars then there were people living in Leaf, but that had been one of the worst. Sasuke decided against examining how the others were doing, lest he be mistaken for cheating, and instead looked out the window.

The Uchiha sighed as he watched a couple of birds fly by the window. It was very peaceful in the Leaf village, so peaceful that it was easy to slip into a false sense of security and not notice the looming clouds on the horizon, like a certain invasion. The village hidden in the Clouds didn't make such mistakes. Sasuke would guarantee that Ai would have seen the invasion coming before the exam even started. He probably would have tracked down Orochimaru to personally throw down with the Snake for daring to even try such a thing.

Sasuke just shook his head, truth be told, he preferred living in Cloud. Yes, the climate could be harsh and the ninja program was far more rigorous and demanding than Leaf's, but that's what made Cloud one of the five great hidden villages. Contrary to what the academy would have you believe, Leaf was not the most powerful village in the world. Stone had the most powerful military, with Cloud being a close second. Leaf was, at best, a distant third, though Leaf did have the highest population of the five villages. If the Leaf truly was the most powerful village, it wouldn't have hesitated to go to war against Cloud after they tried to abduct Hinata.

Sasuke sighed again, he had really been hoping to move out of Leaf and live in Cloud, but he was only one vote out of three. Besides, there was always next time, right? The raven-haired ninja decided to give up all pretenses of paying attention to the test and put his head down, quickly falling asleep.

Sakura glanced over at Sasuke, concerned about what was bothering him. It was obvious Sasuke was unhappy about something, but Sasuke was as good at hiding his feelings as Sakura was at reading them, so she was left in the dark. Vowing to ask after the first test was finished Sakura sat back and waited for Ino to use the Yamanaka Mind Transfer on her. Sakura could simply throw Ino out, or prevent the blonde from entering her mind all together, but she decided to have a little fun with her one time rival.

Ino grinned as her technique succeeded. Sakura thought she was so smart, but Ino was the one who would benefit. Ino grabbed Sakura's test, intending to memorize the pink-haired girls answers, but was shocked find the page was practically blank. The only thing written down was a small arrow pointing towards the edge of the paper. Ino flipped the sheet around, finding a message written there.

'Nice try, Ino, but you're going to have to work harder than that to get any answers out of me.' In the recesses of her mind, Sakura figured she had made her point and ejected Ino from her body. Ino was horrified to find herself back in her own body. Her gaze latched onto Sakura, but she didn't even glance in Ino's direction. Instead Sakura just stared straight ahead, a smug smirk on her lips.

While all this was going on, Naruto was coming up with stupid and inane answers to the test. Such as the question, 'In breaching into known inner lower iterations knowing everyone suspects deadly unexpected danger, eat soup.' Or 'For understanding consciousness kinetic levels everyone always reads neurologically intense narcotic games.' Naruto chuckled at his own wit, wondering how long it would take Ibiki to find the messages he hid in the first letter of every word of his answers.

Naruto contemplated what kind of insult to hide in his next answer while he waited for the tenth question to be explained. Naruto had half a mind to simply let the cowards quit without saying anything, but decided against it. It was best to enter the Forest of Death with as many teams as possible. The door in the back opened, allowing Kankuro and his 'escort' to return from the bathroom. Ibiki was sure to reveal the question now.

"All right you ingrates, it's time for the tenth question. Before we begin, however, I have to explain a certain rule that accompanies this question. If you get this question wrong, then you will be forbidden from taking the Chunin exams ever again!" Cries of outrage sprung up from the audience, though Naruto just laughed to himself. If Leaf really did have a rule that would prevent anyone who took the exams in their village from ever being able to try again, the other villages would start a war.

Ibiki laughed at the outrage being displayed by the Chunin hopefuls. "If you all don't have the courage to take the question, then by all means, leave. Fail now and be able to try again later." Naruto let the reality of the moment sink in for everyone before speaking.

"Give me a break." He called out, drawing attention to himself. Naruto loved an engaged audience. "You expect us to back down? We're ninja, and we're not intimidated by no goddamn question!" Naruto was careful not to accuse Ibiki of not actually having a tenth question. Last time that happened, Ibiki pulled out a random question from the ANBU handbook. No one, not even the Chunin plants, knew the answer and the entire class failed. That hadn't been a pleasant little experience.

"You're willing to risk never being able to become a Chunin?" Ibiki asked.

Naruto snorted. "If I got scared enough to run like a coward by a question on a goddamn _written test_ then I wouldn't have made much of a Chunin, would I?"

Despite himself, Ibiki found his lip twitching upward in amusement at this blonde. The brat's words seem to have an effect on the others around him. Everyone was sitting just that little bit straighter and they no longer seemed so nervous.

'Well I'll be, seems like we might have some real potential in this crowd. I wanted to drag this out, but there's little point to it anymore, no one seems to intend to leave.' Ibiki thought to himself. He glanced at the other proctors, who all gave nods of agreement. 'Well, I guess that's it then.'

"Your courage is admirable. Congratulations, you all just passed the first exam." Ibiki waited until the cries of surprise died down before explaining. "The tenth question doesn't exist. The entire point was to test whether or not you all had the courage to head into a situation with potentially dire consequences. As Blondie here pointed out, if you were too scared to try and answer a question on a written test, then how do you expect to be able to walk into a potential ambush?"

Ibiki grinned. "The life of a ninja is a dangerous one, and you'll face many situations where you must take your life, and the lives of your comrades, in the palm of your hand. You all have shown the fortitude necessary to eventually undertake these tasks, though some have shown more than others." Naruto just grinned.

"At any rate, congratulations. The proctor of the second exam should be here soon." Ibiki glanced out the window. "In fact, here she comes."

An unidentifiable black mass suddenly crashed through the window. Two kunai shot out of the mass, both impacting with the ceiling. The mass turned out to be a large tarp being carried by a beautiful and somewhat inappropriately dressed woman.

"Alright maggots, listen up! I'm your new proctor, Anko Mitarashi." Silence greeted her, most were two shocked by her sudden appearance to react, while a few others were looking out the window, trying to figure where she came from.

"You're right on time, Anko. We just finished." Ibiki complimented. Anko's eyes scanned the room, mentally calculating how many teams were left. She was shocked by the end result.

"Ibiki, there are over thirty teams here. Are you going soft in your old age?"

Ibiki simply laughed. "What can I say Anko? We have some real potential in this year's group."

Anko snorted. "We'll see about that. There'll be less than half of them once I'm through with them." A few people gulped, intimidated by this odd woman before them. "I get charged up just thinking about it. You maggots have had it easy so far, but now it's time for a _real _test. Follow me." Anko turned and strode out the room.

Everyone sat there for a minute, not sure what to do. "Hurry up!" Anko shouted from the hallway, prompting everyone to jump up and follow her. Anko led the large group to the Forest of Death and explained that the Second Exam would take place tomorrow morning. She sent them all off with an ominous warning. "Get plenty of rest; you're really going to need it."

Scene Break

The next day, once everyone was gathered, Anko explained how the Exam would work. Each team would be given either a Heaven or an Earth scroll. They had five days to get one of each scrolls and to get to the tower within the forest. Anyone who arrived without both scrolls, or arrived after the time limit expired, or didn't arrive at all; failed.

Once the waivers were all signed, scrolls were passed out. Team 7 received a Heaven scroll this time around, since there were extra teams it became a fifty-fifty shot. They decided to let Naruto carry it. After each team had a scroll, they were released into the forest.

Team 7 headed straight for a tree they knew had a large alcove beneath it accessible through a small crawlspace. Once they were inside, Naruto pulled out six blank scrolls and some paints. A little deft brush work and Naruto created three perfect replicas of the Earth and Heaven scrolls. Each member grabbed a set of fake scrolls and hid them. Dummy scrolls in place, with Naruto carrying the actual scroll, the three set out.

Team 7 decided to take their time. They all knew the entire layout of the forest by this point and weren't intimidated by the various dangers that resided within. The only real certainty within the forest was that Orochimaru would eventually track them down. Besides that, it was pretty much free game.

Deciding to get the confrontation over with, Team 7 headed towards where the faux Grass team had entered the forest. Barely an hour later, a massive gust of wind torn through the trees, nearly blowing the time-travelers away. Sakura immediately created an earth dome around her team, preventing them from being separated.

Once Naruto confirmed that the wind had stopped, Sakura released her technique. A very familiar voice floated through the trees. "Quick thinking, very well done." Orochimaru, disguised as a ninja from the Grass village, strode into view. "I intended to separate you three, but this might prove more interesting." He held up an Earth scroll. "It's important to know what we're fighting for. No?"

The three remained silent, though Sasuke held up one of Naruto's fake Heaven scrolls. "Very good." Orochimaru chuckled. The Sannin tilted his head back, opened his jaw, and swallowed the Earth scroll whole. Team 7 knew he wasn't really swallowing the scroll, he had a storage seal inscribed on the back of his throat. Swallowing and regurgitating various objects likes scrolls and swords were all for show. Orochimaru was a showman at heart.

"Now we shall see, just who will be stealing scrolls from whom." Orochimaru whispered. The Sannin's eyes locked with the three genin. "We fight to the death." Quickly dispelling the Violent Slaughter illusion Orochimaru had just cast, Sakura charged the Snake, Naruto and Sasuke hard on her heals.

Orochimaru was impressed by how easily his prey had escaped his illusion. He decided to allow the pink-haired girl to strike him in order to gauge her strength. He immediately regretted it as the girl had strength to rival Tsunade. Orochimaru recovered from the blow and lashed out at the young girl. Sakura suddenly threw herself backwards, vanishing underground as soon has she hit the dirt.

Momentarily surprised by this change of tactics, Orochimaru almost missed the Uchiha striking out with a Lightning Blade technique. The snake bent his spine backwards, dodging the thrust, only to have his legs swept out from underneath him by Naruto.

Stone spikes erupted out of the ground, impaling Orochimaru's horizontal body. Sasuke attempted to slice off Orochimaru's head, but the Sannin was one step ahead. An enormous snake suddenly shot out of the trees, most likely summoned by Orochimaru before the fight began. Sasuke was force to retreat or be swallowed whole.

As Orochimaru began pulling himself off the spikes, he mentally ordered his summon to pursue the Uchiha, only to be soaked in blood as the snake seemed to fall apart like a crumbling building. 'The Jinchuuriki.' Orochimaru realized. 'He sliced my summon to bits using wind Chakra.'

Realizing that it was now time to step up his game, Orochimaru freed himself from the spikes and began flashing through seals. A large fireball erupted from the disguised ninja's mouth, heading towards where Sasuke was standing among the trees. As he expected, a barrier of wind dispelled the fireball. While Naruto was focused on defending Sasuke, Orochimaru charged the Jinchuuriki, intending to take him out of the fight.

Naruto was surrounded by a puff of smoke, revealing Sakura standing in his place. 'She replaced herself with her teammate.' The Sannin thought. Orochimaru began backpedaling, since he had no desire to feel the girls super strength blows again.

The Sannin's feet suddenly tripped over a wire, causing him to fall backwards. A yellow blur sped around him, wrapping Orochimaru in a cocoon of wires, each one reaching off towards a different tree. The Sannin was about to cut himself out of the metal wires, when the Uchiha's voice rang out.

"Thunder Style: Storm Spider Net!" Lightning surged through the wires, electrocuting Orochimaru and partially melting off part of his disguise. As the electricity died out, the wires tightened, no doubt intending to slice Orochimaru to bits, but the Sannin was having none of that. He replaced himself with a nearby fallen log and leapt into the trees, hiding from sight.

Orochimaru took a minute to survey his wounds as they slowly healed. His arms and legs were burnt and the disguise was damaged beyond repair. If he had been anyone else, Orochimaru knew he would be dead. The Sannin grinned to himself. Screw just marking the Uchiha, he was going to put a curse seal on all three of these little pleasant surprises.

Orochimaru decided against an open confrontation, and instead chose a more subtle route. The Sannin easily tracked down his three opponents, they were gathered in a small circle, facing outward to avoid being ambushed. From his vantage point high up in the trees, Orochimaru smirked. He created two mud-clones in different trees surrounding the genin.

At once, the two clones and the original extended their necks out to bite the genin. The three were taken by surprise and were unable to properly evade before the heads latched onto their necks. Orochimaru felt the venom leave his fangs and enter his prey's body. Once he was finished, the original's tongue shot out and removed the Heaven scroll from Sasuke's pocket.

The Sannin retracted his neck while dispelling the two mud-clones. He jumped down to stand in front of the genin, knowing he only had moments to make his speech before the pain of the curse mark kicked in. "You three have done well, far better than I could have hoped. I only came here for Sasuke, but all three of you surpassed my expectations."

Orochimaru lit the Heaven scroll on fire. "My name is Orochimaru, The Giant Snake, and I have-" The Sannin was cut off by the scroll in his hands exploding directly in his face. 'Clever bastards!' He thought. 'They must have created a fake, booby-trapped scroll to fool their enemies.' Orochimaru contemplated searching for the real scroll, since all three of them were beginning to thrash around in pain from the Curse Seal taking effect, but decided against it. The three of them had earned the right to keep their scroll at this point. So with a final farewell, Orochimaru vanished.

Once the Snake Sannin was gone, three Shadow clones of Sakura emerged from underground. The three clones quickly set about removing the Curse Mark from Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. Each clone plunged their hands into the seal and removed a white serpent with Orochimaru's head.

The three created small, separate stone boxes to throw the snakes into, since the serpents were programmed to search out new hosts to latch onto. They locked their respective boxes and made sure there were no exploitable weaknesses. It was dangerous to leave the snakes alive, but Sasuke's Amaterasu technique was the only surefire way to destroy them.

Satisfied that the Curse Serpents were contained, the clones of Sakura began to set up camp and make sure Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were safe. Even if they had only been exposed to the curse for a few minutes, they would still be unconscious for a few hours. Once they were awake, Sasuke would be able to destroy the Curse Serpents and Team 7 would be able to move on with the Second Exam.

Scene Break

Once everyone was awake and well, Team 7 set out in a leisurely pace towards the tower. With the confrontation with Orochimaru done with, The Forest of Death was nothing more than a small camping trip to them at this point. They could have just rushed towards the Tower, but why make the effort? They still had a solid four days to arrive, after all.

They contemplated letting the Sound Team find them, but decided to avoid that confrontation. It was easier to just bypass the team and let the third exam take care of them. It wasn't exactly hard to find a team if you knew how, and Team 7 quickly stumbled across a team from Waterfall who had made camp in a small cave. Rather than make a big spectacle, Naruto just snuck into the cave while they slept and replaced their real Earth scroll with an explosive fake.

Now the proud owners of a real Heaven and Earth scroll, Team 7 continued on their way to the Tower.

Scene Break

Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto sat around a fire, each of them enjoying some cooked fish they had managed to catch earlier. Night had already fallen and the fire offered the only source of light for quite some distance. They each had teams of Shadow clones patrolling the perimeter, so were unconcerned about other teams or wild animals trying to attack them.

As Naruto finished his fish, he leaned back on his sleeping bag and stared up at the stars. The constant sounds of the forest were oddly comforting to the blonde, like a sort of symphony he couldn't understand, but could easily enjoy.

"It's really peaceful here, isn't it?" Naruto asked. Sasuke and Sakura both looked up from their respective meals, quirking an eyebrow at the blonde. Naruto waved his hand towards the surrounding darkness. "It's so dark here, it's almost like there isn't anything else in the entire world. It's just us, the fire, and the stars."

Sakura swallowed before answering. "Yeah, it's kind of like how our lives are now."

Sasuke caught on to what Sakura was thinking. "You mean how we seem to be the only things that are real anymore?"

Naruto sat up, looking at his friends sitting across the fire. "Guys, we can't think like that."

Sasuke just shook his head. "Why not, man? What's the point of even trying to give a shit about all these people around us, when I could literally kill each and every one of them, and eventually they would all be back to normal like nothing happened? Shit, nothing _would _have happened at that point."

Sakura sighed. "It's just… it's hard to try and care about anything at all, least of all the invasion. We've seen the Leaf be saved as many times as we've seen it burned to the ground. These people, they can't hope to understand what we go through. Most people fear death, right? When was the last time death felt like anything more than a passing annoyance to us? It's almost like we're not even human anymore."

Sasuke nodded sadly. "It seems like we should be able to accomplish anything, but in reality, we can't accomplish anything. We could unite the entire Elemental Nations under one unified flag. We could eliminate sickness, poverty, crime, and all evil within the world. Then what? We end up right back where we fucking started without anything but our own memories to convince us it was all real. When you get right down to it, nothing we do matters. Nothing in the entire goddamn world matters."

Naruto stared into the fire, not having the strength to try and refute what his friends were saying. They had tried, oh God had they tried, to escape the loops, to find a way to bring others into the loops, or even just explain the loops. It never worked. No matter what they tried, no matter where they looked, there was simply no precedent for this.

They had hoped that perhaps another form of space-time jutsu would be able to get them out of the loops. They had even tried to perfectly recreate the incident that first got them in the loops. Either something to send them through time or hell, even to another dimension would have worked, but there was nothing. Sasuke had been the one to figure out why.

"Think about it." He had said. "If anyone was actually capable of creating a jutsu that could send them through time and space, then the first thing they would do is use it. If they went back in time to change things, then they wouldn't want to broadcast that fact, would they? And anyone who actually travelled through dimensions probably took his notes with him." Naruto and Sakura had been forced to concede his point.

They were trapped. There was no other word for it. It was a very large prison, with a lot of freedom, but the walls were still very visible. Naruto knew that when every single piece on the board became reset without fail, that it was hard to consider them actual people instead of just pieces.

"I haven't sat down and had ramen with Iruka or the Third Hokage in decades." Naruto whispered sadly.

Sakura's eyes watered. "I haven't had a real conversation with my mother since…" A strangled sob worked its way out of Sakura's throat. "I can't remember! I can't remember the last time I actually had an honest to God conversation with my mother instead of some rehearsed lines. I- I understand that it's hard to stay close to someone who can't grow and change with you, but… but goddamn it, she's my mother! I don't even remember who she is!"

Naruto and Sasuke were by Sakura's side in an instant, wrapping their arms around her. They didn't say anything, what was there to say? They just let Sakura vent her frustration. As the pink-haired girl began to calm down, Sasuke spoke.

"Do you really think we'll do this forever? I know we like to joke about it, but can it really be done? Eventually, we'll have to have done everything, right? Eventually there will be no surprises we haven't seen or paths we haven't taken. What happens then? Do you think our minds will eventually become so overburdened with knowledge that they'll just collapse? Maybe all we're working towards is our own eventual slide into oblivion. Maybe one day we'll just lose all our memories of these loops, then what? We would have no proof that loops had actually happened and we would end up having to learn about the time loops all over again. Fuck, maybe that's already happened and we're just walking down the same paths we've already walked before. Maybe this is what it feels like to go insane."

Naruto slowly got to his feet, staring off into the darkness. "You're right, Sasuke. Maybe nothing we do matters. Maybe all this is just the cruelest effort in futility ever performed by man." A half-laugh/half-sob escaped the blonde's throat. "Everything is absolutely pointless, even the realization that nothing we do has any form of lasting impact is in and of itself, meaningless."

Naruto turned to his to teammates and they were surprised to see a fierce fire burning in his blue eyes. "Everything is meaningless and you know what? I don't fucking care if it is." Sasuke and Sakura shot each other confused glances. Naruto turned sharply, extinguishing the fire with a gust of wind. "Come with me."

Bemused by the blonde's behavior, Sakura and Sasuke followed Naruto as he suddenly leapt upwards towards the trees. The three climbed in silence, until they stood atop one of the tallest trees in the forest. The Forest of Death stretched out around them like a sea of trees. In the distance, it was possible to see the lights coming from the Leaf.

Naruto gestured out towards the forest. "None of this matters. It is all as permanent as grains of dirt in a hurricane." Naruto inhaled deeply, and then shouted up towards the sky. "Fuck you! I don't know why we're here, or what we're supposed to accomplish, but I don't give a fuck! I don't know if there's a God up there listening to me right now, but if there is, go fuck yourself! I'm Naruto Fucking Uzumaki! And I'm not going to let some fucking freak accident break me! I don't know who you are, or what you want, but I'm stronger than you are! You hear me? You won't fucking beat me!"

Sasuke and Sakura glanced towards each other, the corners of their lips twitching upwards. Naruto always knew how to inspire people, even in the darkest of times. They decided to follow their friend's example and shouted their own thoughts to the heavens

"I'm Sasuke Fucking Uchiha! Since day one I've been told that I was second best to my brother, that I would never be fucking good enough! Well I'm still fucking here! I'm still fighting tooth and nail, and I'm going to win! I don't know what fucking game you're playing, but I won't fucking lose!"

"I'm Sakura Fucking Haruno! I'm the meanest bitch you're ever going to meet this side of Hell! I fear no man and I fear no God! You can throw whatever the fuck you want at me, but it won't matter! I can take anything you can fucking dish out! Orochimaru, the Akatsuki, the fucking Tailed Beasts! I'll chew them up and fucking spit them out! Bring it on!"

The three time travelers stood there, trying to catch their breath after shouting their lungs out. The three looked at each other, the absurdity of the moment beginning to set in. It started with a few chuckles that slowly grew into snickering, before all three of them erupted in full out laughter.

As the three began to calm down Naruto spoke. "Listen guys, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how bad things get or what insane situations we find ourselves in. Do you know why it doesn't matter? It doesn't matter because no matter what happens, I know I'll have your two by my side."

"Naruto-" Sakura began. Naruto held up his hand.

"Let me finish. You two are the most important people in my life. You two are my comrades who I've fought and died next to, my friends who I've laughed and drank with, my family who have pulled me through my darkest moments. You guys are the reason I keep fighting, the reason I'm willing to get out of bed and face a new loop, because I'll face it with you. You two mean everything to me, and I couldn't have stayed sane this long without you. I love you, both of you."

Sakura felt her eyes mist. She stepped forward and pulled Naruto into a hug. "I love you too, Naruto. I couldn't dream of looping without you there to guide me when I feel lost. You're my friend, my Hokage, my brother. Never forget that."

Sakura felt Sasuke's arm wrap around her and Naruto. "I'll make a promise here and now. Even if it turns out that these loops are some sort of sick joke and we may end up fading into oblivion, I'll never forget the memories we've made and the times we've shared together. I love you two and I always will."

"Always." Sakura agreed.

"Always." Naruto whispered.

Scene Break

The next day, feeling remarkably better after screaming their lungs out the previous night, Team 7 decided to get to the tower and take the extra day to rest before the preliminaries. As they made their way to the tower, they couldn't help but notice a certain silver-haired spy tailing them, no doubt to gather information for Orochimaru.

"Should we draw him out?" Sasuke asked.

"Sure, it will be nice having him to talk to on the way to the tower." Sakura said.

All three of the time-travelers were fond of Kabuto. Maybe it was his friendly attitude, or because they got to know him so well while undergoing Sage Training, perhaps it was simply the camaraderie they felt with the lost boy. Kabuto doesn't know where he came from and really had no idea what his purpose in the world was until he met Orochimaru. The time-travelers could relate to that.

"So we pretend to open the scrolls and force him to step in so we don't fail?" Sasuke asked.

"It _is _a classic." Naruto grinned. "But what do say we spice things up a little bit?"

"I'm listening."

Scene Break

Kabuto watched Team 7 from his vantage point in the trees, unable to believe the scene that was playing out before him. The team had decided to set up camp in the middle of the day, apparently in absolutely no hurry to get to the tower, they barely made any attempts at setting up traps or alarms in case of attack, and they were openly cooking fish on a fire while loudly talking about their Heaven scroll!

"Look, all I'm saying is we can open up the Heaven scroll and deduce the contents of an Earth scroll from that." Naruto stated. Kabuto's first impression of the blonde had gone out the window as he watched the Uzumaki try to convince his teammates to open the Heaven scroll. Even worse, it was working! Kabuto could tell that Sakura and Sasuke were both seriously considering Naruto's plan.

"Fine, I guess we don't have any other choice." Sakura said sadly. She grabbed the Heaven scroll off the ground and ran her finger along the outer surface, attempting to find the seam. Kabuto couldn't take this anymore and knew he had to interfere.

In an instant he was crouched in front of Sakura and grabbed the Heaven scroll from her grasp. "I wouldn't do that if I were…you…" Kabuto suddenly realized he was alone in the camp. Naruto's voice suddenly called out from the trees.

"Oh shit, it's Kabuto! Kabuto! Throw the scroll!" The silver haired medic suddenly realized the Heaven scroll he was holding was smoking. He instinctively tossed the scroll into the nearby river and was almost immediately soaked as a detonation upended a huge surge of water onto him.

Kabuto stood there for a moment, trying to piece together what had just happened. The team he was following rushed out of underbrush, looking rather sheepish. "Kabuto, are you okay?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah man, we didn't mean to almost kill you like that." Naruto gushed apologetically.

Sasuke pulled out a towel from a knapsack and handed it to the grateful medic. While Kabuto was drying himself and his glasses off, Sasuke subtly resealed the knapsack into one of his traveling scrolls behind his back.

Once suitably dry, Kabuto decided to try and figure out what had just happened. He started with the obvious. "Do you guys realize how much attention you're attracting with this camp? The fire is easy to see, and the fish smell can be sensed a mile away. Not to mention your lack of traps and open location."

To his surprise, the three grinned. "Of course we know that, what do think we are, stupid?" Sasuke smirked.

"We knew we were being followed." Sakura explained. "So we set up a horribly defended camp and acted like helpless children to try and draw out whoever was tracking us by making them overconfident."

"So you weren't really going to try to open the Heaven scroll and create your own Earth scroll?" Kabuto asked, silently cursing himself for falling for such a ploy.

Naruto snorted. "Of course not, that was a fake we made to give to teams that might have gotten the drop on us. Just imagine, they make it to the tower, open up the scrolls, and BOOM! Right in their smug faces." Kabuto was forced to concede that it was a brilliant little plan, especially since the exam made it impossible to check a scroll's content for authenticity until it was too late. "We already have a real set anyway."

Naruto held up his right hand. With a quick flick and swish of his hand, A Heaven and Earth scroll appeared in his hand. They then disappeared with another swish and flick. "Anyway, we apologize for almost injuring you with our little stunt. We thought we were being pursued by an enemy ninja, not a fellow Leaf ninja."

Kabuto had to resist the urge to snort at that statement. "You do realize that in an exam like this, it's every team for themselves? If a team is desperate enough, they may turn on you to get your scrolls, even if they are from the same village."

Sasuke spoke. "Well, you already have a set of scrolls, right?" Kabuto was about to ask how he knew when he saw a pair of Sharingan staring intently at Kabuto's weapon pouch. Kabuto uneasily reached inside and flashed his own scrolls before hiding them again. Sasuke nodded in satisfaction and deactivated his Sharingan. "So what's the problem then? You have scrolls, we have scrolls, and we might as well just travel to the tower together."

Kabuto certainly liked that idea; it would give him a chance to properly observe these three, since they kept surprising him. Once he agreed, Team 7 quickly packed up their fake camp and headed out.

Scene Break

"There's the tower." Naruto grinned at the lit up structure in the distance. Night had fallen, but since the tower was already in view, the four decided to put in the extra mileage to get there tonight instead of waiting for the fifth day.

The four set off walking, making sure to keep their senses sharp for any signs of enemy attack. It was Sasuke who tensed slightly, but made no outward appearance that anything was wrong. "Hey, Naruto."

"Hmm?"

"You ever think about how far away the stars are?" Sasuke asked.

"Can't say that I have, Sasuke." Naruto replied.

While the two of them began to debate the distance of stars, Sakura pretended to trip. Kabuto, who was the closest to her, thought she was actually falling and quickly reached out to grab her. "We're in an illusion." Sakura whispered once Kabuto was close enough to her.

Kabuto's eyes widened. He had noticed the illusion from the get-go, but didn't think any of his targets would notice due to the subtle and well-crafted implementation. "You're sure?"

Sakura nodded. "Sasuke just gave the code phrase for being caught in an illusion." Sakura replied. The phrase 'You ever wonder how far away the stars are?' came from a particularly embarrassing mission to infiltrate Cloud. A scout had spotted them and trapped them in an illusion that made the stars seem like the most interesting things in the entire world. Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto had sat on a hill for an hour like a group of giggling stoners staring up at the sky. By the time the illusion wore off, reinforcements from Cloud arrived to take them in for questioning. Not a fun little memory, but a humbling one none the less.

Sakura got to her feet and the four set off like nothing was wrong. Soon, Naruto turned his back to Sasuke. "Hey Sasuke, I've got this itch I can't reach, can you get it for me?"

Sasuke nodded and reached over to Naruto while Sakura whispered to Kabuto. "Naruto has found the casters."

"Another code?"

"Yep."

Sasuke started scratching the middle of Naruto's back. "Where is it?"

"Up."

"North." Sakura clarified for Kabuto

"More to the right. More. More."

"Thirty feet to the right." Sakura whispered.

"Up a little more. There you go." Naruto sighed in contentment as Sasuke finally got the 'scratch'.

"Up in the trees." Sakura confirmed. Kabuto once again found himself impressed by the surprise tactics these three had at their disposal. The group continued on their way, pretending nothing was wrong. However, as soon as they passed by the tree that held the illusion casters, Sakura lashed out at the trunk. The entire tree split under her strength and began to fall. Three blurs shot out of the tree and attempted to escape.

"Oh no you don't!" Clones of Naruto filled the area. The clones quickly formed teams and intercepted the escaping ninja. They were three Mist ninja that team 7 vaguely remembered having captured them in illusions before, but it didn't happen too often.

The group struggled to escape and one of them managed to get an arm free and tossed a Kunai towards Kabuto. The Medic had been congratulating Team 7 on their quick thinking and maneuvers, so was caught by surprise by the projectile. The Kunai sliced along the bridge of Kabuto's nose, knocking the glasses off his face.

The Mist Nin was about to try and press his advantage, when he was suddenly frozen by the glare he received from Kabuto. The seemingly friendly medic was staring at the Mist ninja with bloodshot eyes that were promising pain. The hesitation allowed Naruto's clones to properly restrain the Mist ninja and tie him up like his teammates.

Kabuto placed his head in his palm, trying to regain control of his temper, lest he blow his cover. The three time travelers shot each other uneasy looks. They all knew why Kabuto was so angry at the Mist ninja. It wasn't because of the cut; Kabuto could easily heal that like it wasn't even there. No, the real reason Kabuto was so angry was because the Kunai had almost broken Kabuto's glasses.

During their time with Orochimaru and training to become Snake Sages, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura asked Kabuto to tell them stories about his mother figure, Nonou Yakushi. The kind woman ran an orphanage and when Kabuto had turned up, cold, wet, and alone, she had taken him in with open arms. One of Kabuto's fondest memories of his mother was when she realized that he had poor vision. The orphanage care taker didn't hesitate for a moment and immediately pulled off her own glasses and placed them on Kabuto. They were a bit big for him, but Kabuto had grown into them, and still wore them to this day.

Hence his sudden anger at the Mist ninja. He had very nearly destroyed one of, if not the only, thing Kabuto had to remember his mother by.

Sakura bent down and gingerly lifted the glasses. There was a little dirt on the lenses, but no actual damage. She tapped Kabuto on the shoulder, causing him to look up at her. She smiled and held out his glasses. "They're a little dirty, but they seem to be okay."

Kabuto smiled gratefully and took the glasses from Sakura. Before he could place them on his face, Sakura leaned forward and swiped a green covered hand over Kabuto's wound, healing it instantly. "I… thank you, Sakura." Kabuto said. Sakura just smiled.

"My pleasure."

"Hey, we got a Heaven scroll here." Sasuke called from where he was rooting through the Mist Ninja's belongings. He walked over to the rest of the group. "What should we do with it?"

"We already have all the scrolls we need to pass, so there's little point in taking it with us." Naruto observed.

"I sure don't want to just leave it here for these guys to have or some random team to stumble across." Sakura said, gesturing towards the tied up and knocked out Mist Team.

"What if we burn it?" Kabuto asked innocently. Everyone stared at each other for a minute, before grins started to break out on their faces.

So, the group of four set off to the tower, leaving a team of unconscious Mist ninja and a small pile of ash behind.

Scene Break

The three time travelers glanced around the room while the Hokage made his speech about how the Chunin exams were a form of miniature war between the villages. They had reached the tower without further incident and had simply taken the extra day to rest.

Now they were in the arena with the rest of teams who managed to pass. As expected, because they didn't deviate from standard events too much, the standard teams were here. The current roster included Team 7, of course, along with Team 8, Team 10, Team Gai, Kabuto's team, The Sand Siblings, and the Sound Team.

After the Hokage finished his speech and Hayate Gekko appeared to explain the third round. Kabuto immediately came forward and resigned, saying he didn't feel he had it in him to continue. It amazed Team 7 how well he could play the part of a helpless genin who didn't have the courage to face the next round, especially since he could easily take on any of his competitors with the possible exception of Gaara.

Once Kabuto had left, the match board appeared and began cycling through names at a rapid pace. The three time travelers watched with excitement as the board flipped through the names. One thing they had discovered was that the loops didn't affect chance. If a certain set of lottery numbers were lucky on a certain day in one loop, then different numbers would be lucky on a different loop. Chance couldn't be affected by time loops, since nothing was ever certain about chance. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke loved the third round of the Chunin exams, since even if all the same teams were here, the match-ups would always be different. It was incredibly refreshing.

The board finally came to a halt, displaying the first match up of the preliminaries. "First match, Sasuke Uchiha vs. Misumi Tsurugi." Hayate called out. "Would everyone else please move to the upper balcony?"

Sasuke remained still as everyone else began walking up the stairs. He quickly found himself facing his opponent. Misumi Tsurugi, he was one of Kabuto's teammates, he wore circular glasses and hid his face behind a bandana. If memory served, he had his body altered to be able to twist and contort into any shape he wanted. Sasuke repressed a snort, since he and his teammates could do that just as easily with the Maniac Contortion Jutsu they learned from Orochimaru. Come to think of it, maybe the Snake created the jutsu from experiments on Misumi? If they ever joined Orochimaru again, Sasuke would have to remember to ask Kabuto about that.

"I hope you're ready to lose, little boy." Misumi chuckled. This time Sasuke didn't even bother to suppress his snort. Misumi and his teammate, Yoroi, were overconfident to a fault and Sasuke really couldn't see why. The two of them only had one real trick and didn't even bother to try anything else. They only rarely got passed the preliminaries and even then they never made it past the first round of the tournament. The only reason the two were probably paired with Kabuto was so their worthless asses wouldn't get killed out in the forest.

"Begin!" Hayate called, leaping back to avoid getting caught in the crossfire. Misumi charged towards Sasuke, throwing a punch at his head. Sasuke blocked the attack and was unsurprised to see his opponents arm twist around his own, allowing Misumi's entire body to contort around Sasuke's body, keeping him in place like a living rope.

"I'm an expert on gathering information." Misumi chuckled into Sasuke's hear. "To get into tight areas, I've undergone a Soft Physique Modification, allowing me to stretch and twist my body however I see fit. It even works as an effective combat technique. Give up now, or I'll have to snap your neck."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Expert on gathering information? Sure you are, buddy. If you're so good at getting information, then riddle me this; what's my chakra affinity?" Misumi wasn't sure how to respond, not only did he not know the answer, but he was nonplussed by the blasé attitude of the Uchiha he was second away from killing.

"Give up?" Sasuke taunted. "I'll tell you, it's lightning! Thunder Style: Lightning Cloak!" Without even needing seals, Sasuke's entire body was consumed in a protective barrier of electricity. Misumi screamed as he was given a full body voltage shock.

Once Misumi's grip loosened, Sasuke slipped out from his grasp. Sasuke turned to face his opponent, intending to push his advantage, only to realize that Misumi was already unconscious. Shrugging to himself, Sasuke dispelled the Lightning cloak and headed towards the balcony as Hayate declared him the winner.

Sasuke walked towards his team, ignoring the glare he was receiving from Misumi's teammate, Yoroi. "Nicely done, Sasuke." Sakura complimented. Sasuke gave a theatric bow.

"Why thank you, my lady, Twas an easy victory." Naruto suppressed a snort while Kakashi smiled at his students antics. Kakashi noticed Anko staring at him, and remembered he had a job to do.

"You did well, Sasuke. However, you need to come with me to get that mark looked at." Sasuke turned to give Kakashi a quizzical look.

"What mark?"

"The mark put on your neck by Orochimaru. We need to get it sealed before it can have any form of adverse effects on you." Sasuke tilted his head forward to show his bare neck.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Kakashi flipped up his head band for a moment, his Sharingan confirming that there was no form of illusion hiding the seal from sight, before replacing it and shooting a look towards Anko and the Third Hokage. Both were baffled, since Orochimaru had flat out told Anko that he had marked Sasuke with the Curse Seal. The Curse Seal couldn't be removed; Anko could attest to that, so had the rouge ninja been lying? If so, why?

"I see. I apologize, Sasuke. It seems I was misinformed." Sasuke gave a grunt of acknowledgement before turning back to the arena floor. He saw no reason to point out that the Curse Seal had been put on him since Sakura took it off almost immediately.

"Next match; Shino Aburame vs. Neji Hyuuga." Hayate called out. Neji cursed softly, he had been hoping for a chance to fight against Hinata. Shino gave no outward sign of his emotions, simply making his way to the arena floor.

"Begin!" Neji immediately activated his Byakugan and dropped into a Gentle Fist fighting stance, only to recoil when he got a full view of all the Kikaichu Insects infesting Shino's body. The Aburame heir took advantage of his opponent's momentary distraction to charge forward. Neji recovered from his disgust and crouched under Shino's punch.

Neji lashed out at Shino, only for the Aburame to dissolve into beetles, causing Neji's thrust to miss. Shino reformed behind Neji, but dissolved again when Neji thrust out with his other arm. The beetles retreated from around the Hyuuga, reforming into Shino halfway across the room.

"Do you intend to fight, or just run away?" Neji mocked.

"I was simply testing a theory." Shino responded. Neji snorted and charged. Being on a team with a Taijutsu Master like Gai had certain benefits, one of which was gaining incredible speed. Neji was on top of Shino before he could even react. Neji began slamming his fingers into specific points along Shino's body, using his Chakra to close the Aburame's Tenketsu.

Neji finished his assault with a well place kick that pushed the Aburame away. Neji smirked. "You can't win. I just closed nearly a quarter of your Tenketsu, any jutsu you have will be much harder to use. If you want to continue then I'll just close all your chakra points, you can't keep up with my speed."

Shino warbled to his feet. "You're right about one thing, I can't keep up with your speed, but I don't need to." Neji arched an eyebrow at that. "Aburame's aren't one, we are many. To stop my chakra flow, you would have to shut down each and every Kikaichu insect within my body."

Neji's eyes narrowed. "Hm, then that's what I'll do. You're a fool to reveal vital information to an enemy while a fight is still going."

"On the contrary, this fight is already over." Neji suddenly felt incredibly weak. He fell to his knees, trying to figure out why his Chakra was draining away. "Confused? Take a look at your fingers." Neji was horrified to see his hands covered in insects. "Those beetles are draining you of your Chakra. It was easy to plant them while you were trying to close my Chakra points. I confronted you in close combat to see if you would notice as I planted a few insects on your body. Apparently, even with 360 degree vision, it's still possible to miss things you aren't specifically looking for. Good to know."

"D-damn… you." Neji wheezed out before slipping into unconsciousness from Chakra exhaustion.

"Winner: Shino Aburame." Hayate stated, as the medics attended to Neji. Shino returned to the balcony, giving Hinata a sympathetic nod as she worriedly watched her cousin carried off on a stretcher.

The next match up was displayed on the board. "Rock Lee vs. Zaku Abumi"

Lee gave a shout of excitement, eager to show off his strength and abilities to everyone. Zaku was equally excited. The sound genin was frustrated that his team was unable to find and kill Sasuke during the Second Exam, so he was eager for some carnage. Looking at the stupid way his opponent was dressed, Zaku figured he had this in the bag.

"Ready? Begin!"

Zaku struck first, launching a blast of pressurized air towards Lee. Lee easily sidestepped the attack and rushed his opponent. Zaku, surprised by Lee's speed, was unable to block Lee's fist connecting with his face. Zaku quickly recovered and lashed his arm out at Lee.

Lee blocked the sideswipe with his arm, causing Zaku to grin when he unleashed a blast of sound directly into Lee's ear. The jumpsuit wearing genin cried out in pain as his ear started bleeding. He lashed out at his opponent, only to stumble forward in pain.

"Ha! That the best you can do?" Zaku crowed. "I can tell you're a close combat specialist, well how do intend to keep coordinated with a busted eardrum? I doubt you'll even be able to get close to me after this."

Lee charged his opponent, but his speed was reduced due to his disorientation, allowing Zaku to easily blast Lee before he could even get close. Lee contemplated his next move while his opponent gloated about how weak he was. With his eardrum busted, Lee couldn't move fast enough to get in close without getting nailed by the sound blasts. Lee could increase his speed if he removed his weights, but moving at such high speeds required concentration and focus to avoid gaining tunnel vision. If Lee took off his weight while his eardrums were so damaged, it could make the problem much worse.

'I need to pin his arms somehow.' Lee thought. "If only I had some form of rope or…' And suddenly, Lee had an idea.

Lee whipped off his leg warmers, revealing his weights to everyone. He unclipped them from his legs, ignoring Gai's protests up in the stands. Zaku laughed. "Do you think removing a couple of leg weights will make you better than me?"

Lee grinned. "Not exactly." Lee charged towards Zaku, still holding the weights in his hands. Zaku once again fired a blast of supersonic air, only for Lee to leap over it. Once he was directly above his opponent, Lee hurled his weights down on Zaku.

Zaku didn't even bother to dodge. How much damage could some weights do? He discovered that the answer was quite a lot, because not only did the weights dislocate both his shoulders when they landed on him, they dragged him straight down in to the ground.

Everyone watching the fight stared in shock at the massive crater created by the weights impacting with Zaku. How much weight was that boy carrying?

Zaku struggled to get to his feet, but found himself unable to lift the weights off his dislocated shoulder. "What the fuck? How much do these fucking things weigh?"

"Quite a lot." Zaku looked up to see Lee with his foot raised directly above his head. Lee brought his heel down directly onto Zaku's face, knocking the boy unconscious. Hayate declared Lee to be the winner and the green clad boy picked up and replaced his weights on his legs.

When he got up to the balcony, he found Sakura waiting for him. "That was a brilliant victory, Lee." She praised.

Lee blushed at the compliment. "Th-Thank you, Sakura. My flames of youth burn very brightly." Lee winced slightly as his own declaration aggravated his injured ear. Sakura noticed this and gently tilted Lee's head so the damaged ear was facing her. Green chakra covered her hand and she placed it over Lee's ear.

"There. Better?" Lee rubbed his healed ear in amazement and thanked Sakura profusely for her help, making sure to compliment her incredible flames of youth. Sakura took the praise in stride and told Lee to think nothing of it.

They were both distracted by the announcement of the next match. "Ino Yamanaka vs. Yoroi Akado." Sakura frowned as she watched her blonde friend and Kabuto's teammate take the floor.

Yoroi was a very overconfident, but also very cruel boy. Ino didn't have a terribly large arsenal of techniques that she could use, and with her low chakra reserves, Yoroi could probably drain her nearly instantly.

"Begin!"

Yoroi, predictably, immediately charged at Ino, his hand covered in chakra. To the blonde girl's credit, Ino actually managed to dodge most of Yoroi's blows, but was clipped by one on the shoulder. Even at a glancing blow, Ino nearly collapsed from the sudden drain on her chakra.

Realizing that close combat was probably a mistake, Ino leapt backwards and tried to think of a plan. Yoroi was more than content to let the rookie sweat it out while he watched her squirm. Ino seemed to come to a decision and thrust out her hands, forming a circle with her fingers.

"Is she crazy?" Shikimaru whispered. "Her Mind Transfer technique is a one shot technique. If she misses, she's a sitting duck!"

Yoroi clearly understood this as well as he simply chuckled at his opponents actions. "Taking quite the gamble, aren't we? Do you worst." He mocked.

Ino growled out her technique. "Mind Transfer Jutsu!" Yoroi immediately jumped to the side as Ino's body slumped to the ground. There was a tense silence as everyone waited to see who was in whose body.

Yoroi started laughing. "Poor little rookie. She took a chance and it blew up in her face." He strolled over to Ino's prone form. "Well, I guess I can just take my time and teach her a lesson for such a stupid mistake."

He grabbed Ino by her pony tail and raised her up to strike at her face. Ino's eyes suddenly shot open and she formed the circular seal directly in front of Yoroi's face. "Mind Transfer Jutsu, Motherfucker!"

Ino's body slumped down once again, but this time Yoroi gently set her down on the ground. He turned to face Hayate. "Proctor, I give up." Hayate nodded.

"Winner: Ino Yamanaka."

"That's my girl." Sakura whispered to herself. Ino faked using her technique to drag her opponent in close so she could fire off the technique at point blank range. A brilliant way of using an opponent's Hubris against them.

Ino released the technique, returning to her own body. From Yoroi's body language, it was obvious he was considering attacking Ino anyway, but the glares he was receiving from the various Jonin in the crowd made him decide against it.

Ino rushed up the stairs to balcony. "How was that, Forehead?" Ino laughed.

Sakura clapped her hands. "Very well done, Ino." Sakura praised. Ino was slightly off put by the genuine joy in Sakura's voice, and was even more off put by Sasuke praising her.

"Indeed. You used your signature technique very effectively and completely tricked your opponent to wandering straight into a trap. Excellent work." Ino blushed at the fact that her crush was praising her. "However, don't forget that this is only the preliminaries. No one else in this room is going to fall for a trick like that again." Ino nodded seriously, taking the advice for what it was.

"Next match, Kiba Inuzuka vs. Kankuro of the Desert."

Kiba was slightly nervous, while he was glad to be facing this Sand ninja as opposed to the red-head, Kiba knew he had to be strong to be on that maniac's team. Akamaru leaned down from his perch on Kiba's head and gave his partner a lick on the cheek. Kiba looked upward, giving his dog a fond smile. "Thanks boy, I was freaking out there for a moment. Come on, we can take this guy!"

"Huh, bold words punk. We'll see who come out on top here." Kankuro smirked. As he removed the mass of bandages from his back.

"Begin!"

Kiba was taking no chances against this guy; he immediately swallowed a soldier pill while simultaneously tossing one up to Akamaru. The small dog's white fur turned red as the chakra boost took effect. Kiba flashed through seals before calling out his attack, Akamaru doing the same through barks.

"Inuzuka Style: Man-Beast Mimicry!" Kiba crouched down on the ground as the jutsu took effect. His claws grew and sharpened while his canines became more apparent. His muscles shifted slightly, allowing for easier running on all fours, as his sense of smell vastly improved. On top of his back, Kiba could feel Akamaru transform into a clone of himself, bestial upgrades and all.

Kankuro watched as his opponent became more animistic and the dog morphed into a clone of his master. "Interesting." Kankuro smirked. "Looks like we have ourselves a two on two battle!" With a flourish of his hand, Kankuro whipped away the bandages surrounding his puppet, The Crow. The three eyed, mechanical monstrosity creaked and groaned as it came to life and stood next to Kankuro.

"Let's go, boy!" Kiba shouted. The two look-alikes rushed towards Kankuro and his puppet. Kiba and Akamaru ran around Crow on their way towards Kankuro, however, at the last minute they changed direction and attacked the puppet instead. Kiba nailed the head with a high kick while Akamaru punched it in the gut.

To most people's surprise, the puppet grunted in pain and Kankuro collapsed to the ground. Kiba smirked. "Did you think switching places with and pretending to be a puppet would fool us? I can smell the real you!"

Kankuro chuckled as he pulled himself to his feet, the fake crow mask falling to the ground as he did. "Not bad, it seems you Leaf punks aren't completely useless after all." Akamaru dove to the side to avoid a blade shot out from the real Crow behind them.

The marionette shredded its disguise and charged towards Kiba with knives sticking out of its arms. Kiba's nose burned as he dodged the knife swipes, warning him that the weapons were coated in poison. Akamaru rushed towards Kankuro, hoping to distract the puppet master from his puppet, only to jump backwards as the Sand ninja launched a volley of poisoned kunai towards him.

Kiba swore under his breath as he was only barely managing to avoid the deadly knife blows. The Man-Beast Mimicry was designed to increase an Inuzuka's toughness, allowing him to take more damage while using the wild and unrestrained Inuzuka fighting style. That strategy went right out the window when so much as a single nick or cut could kill him.

The puppet had no real vital organs to strike at, and could move in ways that weren't humanly possible, making it incredibly difficult to predict its movements. It was only the enhanced physical strength and reflexes that allowed Kiba to remain uninjured, but he didn't know how long he could keep it up. Unlike himself, the puppet wasn't about to run out of stamina anytime soon.

Kiba jumped backwards to gain some distance. "Akamaru!" he called. "Forget him! Focus on the puppet!" The two rushed towards the Crow, spinning through the air like pair of maniacal drills. "Inuzuka Style: Fang Over Fang!"

Kankuro grinned as both his opponent rushed towards the Crow. One they were both directly within striking distance, Kankuro sprung his trap. "Fool!" A series of vents opened up along the Puppets body. A cloud of purple gas exploded outward from the puppet, surrounding itself and the two clones.

The cloud slowly cleared to reveal Kiba and Akamaru, back in his true form, passed out on the ground. Kankuro smirked as he recalled his puppet and place it back upon his back as Hayate declared him the winner.

Once Kankuro was back up on the balcony, he noticed Kiba's female teammate watching with worry as he was carried off by the medic team. "Don't worry." Kankuro soothed. "I only used paralyzing poison and Knock-out gas, nothing lethal. He'll be fine." Hinata nodded; relieved her teammate wasn't going to need serious treatment.

"Next match: Dosu Kinuta vs. Shikimaru Nara"

Shikimaru groaned as he made his way to the arena floor. This was such a pain, but his mother would kill him if he just gave up. Dosu just stared silently at his opponent, saying nothing.

Sasuke leaned closer towards his friends. "Interesting couple of match ups this time around." He observed.

Naruto nodded. "It's been fun to watch, but I wonder who'll come out on top of this one."

"Hard to say," Sakura mused. "Shikimaru is incredibly intelligent, of course, but Dosu is pretty smart as well. I'd say the deciding factor will be timing. Shikimaru usually takes a lot of time to think everything through. Dosu isn't so patient and may create a plan before Shikimaru can."

"Begin!"

Neither opponent moved. Each were quietly observing the other, silently analyzing and strategizing. Ino apparently just couldn't wait.

"Come on, Shikimaru! Get your lazy ass in gear." The blonde girl shouted from the balcony.

Shikimaru turned to glare at his teammate, but this proved to be a mistake. As soon as Shikimaru took his eyes off him, Dosu rushed forward. Shikimaru was forced to duck under Dosu's fist, only for his eardrum to start bleeding.

'Right, these guys use sound as a weapon.' Shikimaru thought to himself as he tried to make his vision stop swimming. Dosu pressed his advantage, stepping in close to hit Shikimaru again. In desperation, Shikimaru forced his shadow to expand in all directions at once. It could only extend about half a foot from his body, but it was enough.

Feeling his Shadow connect to Dosu, Shikimaru sprung backwards, forcing Dosu to do the same. Shikimaru took an extra minute out of his time limit to properly orientate himself. Once his vision was clear, he forced his eyes on Dosu.

"An interesting little trick." Dosu mused. "I'm forced to copy any move you make and am otherwise immobilized. Question is, how do you intend to actually fight me like this?"

Shikimaru reached into his weapon pouch, Dosu doing the same. The sound ninja was forced to remove a shuriken from his pouch, only to pale when he saw that Shikimaru had five different shuriken held together with string.

"What, you don't tie your shuriken together like this?" Shikimaru smirked as he untied the string and tossed away one shuriken, leaving him with four and Dosu with none. "Well that's just too bad." Shikimaru leaned back to hurl the Shuriken at Dosu.

"Proctor, I surrender." Dosu sighed to himself; this entire thing was just a mess. They had failed to find Sasuke during the second exam, Zaku got himself seriously injured, and now he was forced to surrender or risk death. Dosu was certain that from this distance, Shikimaru could easily throw with enough force and accuracy to kill. Dosu just didn't care about this stupid exam anymore.

Shikimaru was declared the winner and the next match was quickly declared. "Naruto Uzumaki vs. Tenten"

Naruto slapped both his teammates on the back. "That's my cue!" The blonde leapt over the railing towards the arena floor. Tenten resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Like she didn't get enough over enthusiastic energy from her team.

"Hi, I'm Naruto. I hope we can have a good match." Naruto grinned. Tenten wasn't sure what to say to such a happy opponent, so she said nothing.

"Begin!"

Tenten instantly had her hand full of weapons and hurled them at the blonde before her. Naruto barely moved, simply ducking and weaving under the volley of sharp objects. Tenten frowned lightly, she apparently had to step it up a notch.

The brown haired girl began running circles around Naruto, launching volley after volley of weapons. Once again, Naruto casually dodged her weapons, not even turning to face her as she circled him, he just kept his face forward the entire time.

Naruto slowly, almost casually, began walking towards Tenten. She stopped moving in a circle and just concentrated on hitting her target. Without the smile ever leaving his face, Naruto simply strode forward. He easily evaded the flying projectiles, occasionally grabbing a kunai out of the air and using it to deflect random couple of weapons before tossing it away. All the while he never stopped his advance.

Tenten soon found herself standing practically nose to nose with her opponent. "You're going to have to better than that, sweetheart." Naruto said with a kind smile.

Tenten was growing frustrated. She had missed more shots in this one match then she had in the last three years of her life. He wanted better? She'd show him better!

Tenten jumped backwards, pulling out two ornate scrolls from her weapon pouch. "I show you my best technique! Twin Rising Dragon!"

A sudden cloud of smoke erupted around Tenten, obscuring the girl from sight. Two shapes shot out of the top of the smokescreen. Naruto gave a low whistle as the smoke momentarily took the shape of a pair of dragons rising through the air. The smoke cleared to reveal Tenten in mid-air, the two scroll unraveled around her.

Tenten began swiping her hand over the various seals, unsealing and immediately throwing weapon after weapon at Naruto. Naruto found himself staring down a literal rain of metal. Naruto crouched down slightly, rapidly whipping around and dodging the flurry of weapons being rained down on him, no longer able to just dodge casually.

The weapon user grit her teeth as the scrolls ran out of weapons and she had still yet to lay a hit on the blonde. "That's it!" Tenten raised her arms, the various strings that were attached to her weapons connecting to her fingers allowed her to pull all her weapons into the air and attack all at once. "Let's see you dodge this one!"

"I don't have to. Wind style: Vortex Net!" Naruto whipped his hand forward, unleashing a massive blast of wind. The gust swept up all of the weapons, causing Tenten to become tangle up in all the wires as they swept past her. The weapons all impacted and imbedded into the ceiling, leaving Tenten hanging helplessly from the roof, cocooned in her own wires or hoisted by her own petard as the case may be.

"Wire work is tricky." Naruto called out. "You've got to be careful you don't get yourself caught in your own attack." He turned towards Hayate. "She isn't getting down from there." Gekko nodded in agreement and declared Naruto the winner. Naruto created a couple of clones to help the poor girl down form her unorthodox hammock and to gather up all her weapons so they could be resealed.

Once Tenten was freed from her own wires and all the weapons were removed from arena, the next match was declared. "Temari of the Desert vs. Kin Tsuchi."

Temari cursed lightly. Sand was supposed to be allying with sound and now she had to fight against the last Sound ninja in the exam. Still, it wasn't like Temari was about to hold back, she had to keep up appearances and all that.

"Begin!"

Kin reached into her weapons pouch, revealing senbon clenched in between each finger. Temari arched a brow at the tiny needles and slowly removed the battle fan from her back. Kin gave the unorthodox weapon an odd look, but paid it no mind.

The dark haired girl hurled her senbon towards the Sand Kunoichi, who simply let them bounce off her fan's metal frame. Annoyed, Kin launched senbon off towards either side of Temari, with said girl simply watching quietly.

Kin flashed through a series of seals. "Illusion Bell Needles!" A soft ringing reached Temari's ears. She idly glanced behind her to see the senbon Kin had thrown had small bells hanging from the end.

When Temari turned towards her opponent, she was surprised to see six different versions of Kin, each one seeming to shift and glide back and forth unnaturally. "I've got you now." The Kins smirked. "How will you block these senbon when you can't even tell where the real me is."

"It's simple." Temari said, whipping open her fan behind her. "I just attack all of you at once. Wind Style: Sickle Gust!" Temari braced her feet on the ground, allowing her to haul the giant fan forward in a mighty sweep. The blast of wind released from the fan stuck all the six enemies at once, throwing the real Kin into the far wall, where she lost consciousness.

Temari snapped her fan shut, idly leaning her elbow against it. "Is that all? Not much of match." Hayate declared her the winner so she strolled her way back up to the balcony.

"Next Match: Hinata Hyuuga vs. Choji Akimichi." As the two genin made their way down to the arena, Naruto leaned in close to Sakura.

"You do realize who you're about to go up against, right?" He asked casually. Sakura nodded. "Be careful."

Sakura snorted. "Please, I'll be fine."

Naruto chuckled. "I meant be careful you don't kill him. I don't want that maniacal thing loose in the middle of this tower."

Sakura nodded again. "Don't worry, if worse comes to worse; I've got a trump card." Sakura patted her weapon pouch for emphasis.

Choji was declared the winner, since Hinata had little desire to fight and couldn't properly hit the Akimichi's Tenketsu whenever he expanded. The girl gave her best though and Naruto made a mental note to track her down after the preliminaries and praise her for her performance. There were now only two competitors left to fight.

"Final match: Gaara of the Desert vs. Sakura Haruno." Gaara immediately appeared in the center of the ring, staring up Sakura, the only person who hadn't fought yet. There were a few gasps in the audience as those who knew what Gaara was capable of cast nervous glances at Sakura.

Kakashi was worried, the reports he had received about this red headed Sand ninja weren't pretty. Gaara was easily above Genin level and could more than likely tear any of his competitors apart. Staring down at the dark eyed ninja, Kakashi felt a tremor of terror pass through him. There was something off about this Gaara character, something evil. Kakashi turned to his student, intending to tell her that it might be best if she surrendered or risk serious injury, only to see her leap over the railing and land in the arena.

Besides Naruto, Temari gave a snort of derision. "She should have just surrendered. That little pink haired brat is about to get herself killed."

Kurenai quickly made her way to Kakashi's side and was whispering furiously with him. She too had heard the reports of Gaara, and she was demanding that he pull his student out of the fight before she got seriously hurt. Both her and Kakashi's attention was drawn to Temari and Naruto as the blonde responded to the wind mistress.

"Sakura is far stronger than you think she is. Your brother is the one about to be taught a lesson in pain." Naruto's smirk irritated the blonde Kunoichi.

"You don't know anything about Gaara. He'll paint the walls of this room with her blood!" Temari hissed. Kurenai was now more determined than ever to get Kakashi to force his student to withdraw, only to be shocked when Naruto started laughing.

"Assuming we don't know anything about Gaara is a pretty dangerous assumption to make, Temari. We know a lot more than you think we do." Temari found herself unnerved by the suddenly ice cold blue eyes staring at her. Could he be alluding to the invasion?

"Gaara is-"

"The Jinchuuriki of the One-tail." Naruto finished. Temari's jaw dropped, along with her brother's, her teacher's, Kakashi's and Kurenai's. "See? It's dangerous to assume your opponents are ignorant, they may just surprise you. But who cares? Talk is cheap, right? Tell you what, when your brother is lying unconscious at Sakura's feet, I'll let you eat your words in peace."

Kurenai, almost desperate to get some support on getting Sakura to disqualify turned to Kakashi's third student. "Sasuke?" The raven haired genin pondered for a moment before pulling a small wad of bills out of his pocket.

"5,000 Ryo says Sakura wins without taking a scratch."

"You're on!" Naruto replied, quickly pulling out his own cash to match Sasuke's. Kakashi took solace in his two student's show of support. They clearly had complete confidence that Sakura would win this fight; So Sakura deserved his support as well. After all, Sakura had shocked him in the past; she could very well do it again.

"I appreciate your concern, Kurenai, but Sakura has chosen to fight. It would be remiss of me to overrule that decision." Without anything else to do, Kurenai turned her attention to the arena floor and prayed for a miracle.

The two combatants had yet to make a move, instead opting for a prolonged staring contest. Finally, Gaara broke the silence. "Mother wants your blood."

Sakura's face actually broke out into a grin at that. "Well she isn't going to get it if we just keep standing here all day." She said brightly.

"Indeed." Sand erupted from the gourd on Gaara's back. The deadly grains rushed towards Sakura, intending to crush the Kunoichi. Sakura easily sidestepped the sand and charged at Gaara, surprising more than a few with her speed. As Sakura pulled back her fist to punch at Gaara, Kankuro laughed up in stands.

"This chick is crazy. Fighting Gaara at close range is suicide." He guffawed.

Gaara didn't even twitch as Sakura quickly approached. A wall of sand erected itself between himself and his opponent, blocking her attack. At least, it was supposed to. Sakura's fist impacted with the sand, and immediately passed through as if it wasn't there. The pink haired ninja delivered her super powered punch to Gaara's face at full strength.

The Jinchuuriki was flung across the room, too surprised to even use the sand to cushion his impact with the wall. Gaara impacted with incredible force, crying out at the unaccustomed pain. He fell to his knees, staring in shock at the blood dripping from his onto the floor. Gaara stared at the small red puddles, trying to figure out what had just happened, when a foot suddenly filled his vision.

Sakura didn't give Gaara time to recover; she was on top of him in an instant. She pulled back her foot and slammed it directly into Gaara's face, once again passing straight through the Sand Shield. The force of the blow caused Gaara to go careening into the air, once again too shocked by the pain to properly organize his thoughts.

His eyes widened in fear when Sakura suddenly appeared directly above him. Both her fist were intertwined were pulled back above her head. With incredible force, Sakura brought her fists down onto Gaara's face in a hammer blow. The red head smashed into the cement floor, the ground literally cratering from the impact. Sakura landed nimbly next to the crater, a small smirk on her lips.

Up in the stands, Naruto and Sasuke were chuckling at the shocked faces of everyone in the arena, especially the terrified looks on Gaara's siblings. "So, how's your foot taste?" Naruto asked Temari conversationally.

Temari was whispering to herself. "This isn't happening. This isn't happening. This isn't happening." Naruto laughed.

"Oh it's happening, sweetheart." Temari's head whipped around to face Naruto.

"You don't know what your teammate has done! Gaara never gets hurt! There's no telling what he could do!"

"Relax." Naruto cut her off. "You'll give yourself wrinkles if you worry so much. Sakura knows what she's doing and I guarantee that she has no intention of letting Shukaku out to play. Just watch, the fights not over yet."

Indeed, Gaara was slowly pulling himself to his feet. His eyes locked onto Sakura, anger shining in his eyes. Gaara's voice came out in a low growl. "You! How did you…"

"Are you aware that Chakra circulates through any and all techniques?" Gaara was slightly off put by this apparent subject change. Sakura continued. "You see, Chakra has to circulate through a jutsu, even after its left the body. Otherwise if you tried to shoot a fireball, the fire would just fizzle out instead of staying red hot for impact. Now different techniques have different speeds and patterns of Chakra movement, or frequencies, if you will. Your Sand shield, for instance, moves at a very fast, yet firm frequency, allowing it speed and solidity, a perfect defense." Sakura chuckled.

"However," Sakura held up her fist, green Chakra surrounding it. "If I match the frequency of Chakra surrounding my blows to the frequency of your sand, then I can disrupt the Chakra flow. Without the Chakra keeping the shield together," Sakura shrugged. "Then all that's left is loose sand."

Sakura suddenly sprang forward. Gaara, now aware his sand shield wouldn't work, actually managed to duck under Sakura's fist as it tore through the sand. He had less luck dodging the round house kick that immediately followed, however. Gaara once again found himself flying across the room; however he managed to catch himself with his sand this time.

Large cracks spread across Gaara's cheek as small bits of it fell off. Gaara raised a hand to his cheek, confused as to why the cracks were there. He had taken the time that his opponent was explaining to apply his Sand Armor. However, he wasn't expecting for it to do much since she could bypass his shield. To Gaara's surprise, however, the Armor held. It took some damage, but the Armor did its job and absorbed most of the blow. Why could she bypass his shield, but not his armor?

Sakura charged again, but now Gaara had an idea. Gaara crossed his arms in front of him, blocking the blow. He formed a wall of sand _behind_ himself so he wouldn't go flying from the force of the impact. Once again, the Armor held, while the Shield failed.

"I see." Gaara whispered. "My Sand Armor must have a different frequency than my Sand Shield. You can punch through one, but you can't change your frequency fast enough cancel out the other!"

Sakura was impressed. Gaara often grew up to be the Kazekage and one of the youngest Kages in general, but it was very rarely that she got to see shades of that great man so early in the time loops. "You're right." Sakura admitted. "Changing Chakra Frequency takes great control and precision. It's not something that can be done in a split second."

"Then, if I change the frequency of my shields, then you won't be able to get by them!" Renewed by this discovery, Gaara tried to crush Sakura with the sand, only for the girl to leap away. The sand chased Sakura across the room, flowing like water as it tried to ensnare her. Sakura -danced around deadly grains, attempting to get in close to Gaara but constantly being thwarted.

"Fuck this." Sakura muttered and stopped her attempts at dodging. Almost instantly she was completely encased in a sand coffin.

"Now I've got you!" Gaara crowed, hand extended, ready to give the command to crush the girl. The red-head could only stare in shock as his sand coffin suddenly fell away, leaving Sakura completely unharmed.

"Don't look so surprised. I can cancel your attacks as easily as your defenses. It takes a little time to switch frequencies, yes, but I think I just proved I'm fast enough to evade you. Then it's just a simple matter of emitting Chakra from my entire body as opposed to just my hands." Sakura stood with her hip cocked and a smirk on her face, completely unconcerned that she was up to her ankles in sand.

"But changing my chakra frequency will stop you from escaping my sand."

"Very true, changing your frequency would take away my advantage." Sakura chuckled from across the room. "However, being able to detect Chakra frequencies, much less actually manipulate your own, is a difficult art. It takes a lot of careful study and practice; it's not something that can be learned on the fly. Do you even know where to begin with changing your frequency?"

Gaara cursed quietly as he realized she was correct. It was like an illiterate person trying to learn to read. He either needed proper guidance, or lots of time to figure it out for himself. Gaara currently had neither.

"Give up, Gaara." Sakura said. "You're attacks can't catch me, and your defenses can't stop me. Even with that Armor, you'll succumb to me eventually." Gaara was once again forced to admit that she was right. He may have had his armor, but Sakura's attacks were so strong that it almost didn't matter. Either the Armor would be chipped away, or he would be turned to mush while still inside, whichever came first.

"Hmm." Gaara grunted. "There is still one thing I can do." Gaara's postured straightened and he a formed the Ram Seal with his hands. The sand swirled around him, covering him completely in a dome. A floating eyeball made of sand formed outside the dome, stareing intently at Sakura.

Temari suddenly swore loudly. "Oh fuck, no!"

Sakura gave her no mind, she had to act fast. Sakura reached into her weapon pouch and pulled out a series of seals inscribed on paper. They were made by Naruto for this exact situation, or rather a much more dangerous situation, but Sakura figured that if they worked on restraining the Nine-tails, then it should work on the One-tail.

Sakura didn't bother with ink, instead she ran in a circle around the dome, dragging her had to make grooves into the ground as she went. Once the circle was complete, Sakura began placing the seals in specific sections of the circle. Sakura swore as the dome began to dissolve. She wasn't ready yet!

Gaara sped through the seals as fast as he could. He normally likes to take his time with this technique and enjoy the moment, but he didn't dare against this opponent. Gaara had no idea how well the Sand Dome would hold against Sakura, and didn't want to take the time to find out. Gaara had no intention of letting mother out. No, _he _was going to be the one to kill this girl.

The sand began merging with Gaara, attaching to his skin, and slowly changing it. The red-head felt his body morph, becoming faster, stronger, and tougher. Hands turned to claws, teeth turned to fangs, and his eyes became black, gold and purple. Two pointy ears rested on the top of his head as a long, thick tail grew from Gaara's spine. Once the transformation was complete, Gaara lowered the dome.

Gaara emerged from the Sand Dome, his body mutated into a miniature Shukaku. The long, clawed arms, the powerful legs, the giant tail, and the demonic face and fangs, it wasn't a pleasant sight. Gaara charged at Sakura his speed increased exponentially from before.

Sakura was forced to abandon her seal and dodge Gaara's attack. The Jinchuuriki whipped around, his arm extending out and pinning Sakura to the wall. Gaara laughed as he slowly increased the pressure on the pink haired girl.

"I'm going to crush you!"

Sakura glared at the Sand Ninja. "Do you think I'm afraid of you? I'm Sakura Fucking Haruno! I fear no man and no God!" Sakura leaned her head forward and slammed it back into the wall. The wall caved in backwards, allowing Sakura to slip out from the demonic grasp. "I'm done holding back!"

Gaara charged at Sakura again. This time the pink haired girl dove under Gaara. She reached out and latched onto The Jinchuuriki's tail. Sakura spun a circle, whipping Gaara around like a demonic slingshot. She released the tail, causing Gaara to go flying across the arena and slamming into the far wall.

Sakura was on top of Gaara instantly. She slammed her arms into the ground up to her forearms. When she pulled them out, they were covered large stone gauntlets. Sakura silently activated the Maniac Contortion Jutsu to allow her arms to stretch and gain rubber qualities.

"Sakura Style: Tenderizer!" Sakura unleashed a flurry of devastating blows against Gaara. The stretchiness of her arms allowed her to strike faster and harder then she normally could due to her arms snapping backwards and forwards.

Gaara was practically pulverized by the armored, super strength blows. His Demonic body was beginning to fall apart under the devastating attack. Sakura suddenly leapt backwards away from Gaara. She slammed her two stone gauntlets together, causing them to mold together to form a rock hammer.

Sakura spun again, gaining momentum as she closed in on Gaara, who was too injured to move. "Sakura Style: War Hammer!" The massive stone hammer slammed into Gaara's gut, causing blood to spew out of the Jinchuuriki's mouth.

Now Gaara was enraged. He had been hurt more in these last few minutes than his entire life. Gaara was rapidly discovering that pain was great fuel for rage, and rage was something he could use. He grabbed the hammer implanted in his gut and threw it aside. "I'm going to kill you!"

Gaara summoned his sand, using it to grind the various piece of rubble around the arena into even more sand. Sakura swore loudly as she realized she was surrounded by swirling sand. She charged her entire body with a chakra barrier to dispel the sand, only to be nailed by a compacted orb of air.

"Wind Style: Air Bullet!"

"Dammit! He's getting smarter." Sakura seethed as she was forced to go on full defensive to avoid both the sand and Gaara's wind techniques. She back flipped over a wall of sand to dodge another air bullet while trying to formulate a strategy.

'I need to get in close and hit him with a knockout blow, but how? That damn demon mutation gives him incredible endurance.' Sakura watched as Gaara launched another volley of air bullets. The way he had to open his mouth wide to launch the attacks gave Sakura an idea.

Sakura dove under the air bullets and charged at Gaara. The sand clearly had no intention of letting her get close. The lethal grains surrounded her on all sides, so Sakura dove underground. She was almost immediately forced back out by Gaara's Sand simply began grinding the floor into more sand.

Sakura leapt into the air and landed on the ceiling. She crouched down and sprang off the roof directly at Gaara. The demonic raccoon grinned. "Fool! Winds Style: Air Bullets!"

Sakura summoned three clones, using them to absorb the attacks. Sakura raised her right hand, a swirling ball of chakra forming above her palm. Up in the stands, many of the Jonin gasped in shock as they recognized the technique being used.

"That's the Rasengan!" Kakashi shouted in shock as he stared at the achingly familiar technique being used by his student.

A wall of Sand rose to block Sakura's attack, but she used her free hand to tune to the chakra frequency and sweep the sand away. Gaara opened his mouth to launch another Air bullet, but with no other barriers left, Sakura slammed the Rasengan directly down Gaara's throat.

"Suck it!"

There was a violent explosion as the Rasengan's swirling energy threw off Gaara's ability to focus his demonic chakra, causing the transformation to violently end. The force of the explosion threw Sakura backwards, causing her to impact with the far wall.

Sakura slowly pulled herself to her feet, and was thankful to see that Gaara was back in his human form. However, Sakura knew she still had a potential disaster on her hands. She limped over to the temporarily stunned Gaara and dragged him to her unfinished seal array that was thankfully untouched by his sand.

Gaara slowly began to regain his senses while Sakura finished her Seal. Gaara felt rage build inside of him. He wasn't going to lose to this woman, even if he had to drag mother out to fight. The sand swirled around him, ready to transform him into his full, gigantic Demon form. "I'm going to kill you!" Gaara screamed.

Sakura finished the seal and glanced up at Gaara. "Give it a rest. You've already lost! Demon Prison, activate!"

Gaara screamed in pain as the seals began to glow. The Demonic mutations that were beginning to reappear quickly vanished as the seal began to take effect. Gaara could feel his mother's voice slipping away, taking her power with her.

Everyone watched in amazement as the demonic creature that was Gaara suddenly began screaming in pain as large chains erupted from the seals Sakura had placed and restrained the creature. The chains seemed to absorb the demon's power as it slowly morphed back into Gaara, before silence fell as he slipped into unconsciousness.

A full minute of silence passed before Sakura finally tapped one of the seals and released Gaara from the chains. She began gathering up the seals while calling up to Kankuro and Temari. "He'll be out for a few days, but besides that and a couple of bruises, he'll be fine."

As Sakura finished gathering the seals, Hayate finally remember he had a job to do. "Winner: Sakura Haruno." Medics quickly sped over to Gaara, only to give the same diagnosis Sakura had given.

Kankuro and Temari exchanged nervous glances as Gaara was carried away on a stretcher. Gaara was instrumental to their plans for the attack on the Leaf. He had just been taken down by a genin who not only overpowered him, but shut down the Shukaku as well. Maybe this invasion wasn't such a good idea after all.

Sakura calmly walked up the stairs towards the balcony, healing her wounds as she went. She purposefully ignored the stares she was getting from the others as she approached her team, though she stopped when she saw the looks being shot her way by Temari and Kankuro. "If you two ever want to try and get some payback for your brother, then be my guest. Don't bother making an appointment, because the Doctor is always in." Temari and Kankuro shared a terrified look. There was no chance they were going up against someone who could take down Gaara.

Sakura smirked slightly as she saw Naruto collect a wad of cash from Sasuke, no doubt from a bet on her match. The two of them brightened when they saw her. "Great job, Sakura." Naruto cheered. Sasuke nodded in agreement.

"You did well. I doubt The Shukaku will even be willing to come out ever again after the beat down you gave Gaara." Sasuke smirked.

Sakura shrugged. "Eh, what can I say? I'm pretty amazing. Besides, Naruto should make friends with Gaara so I don't have to worry about trying to keep him in line."

Naruto gave a small nod of agreement. "I'll visit Gaara in the hospital. He'll be on the road to sanity in a few days." Naruto was always good at turning people to his side, with the practice granted by the loops, he could do it in hours.

Kakashi was staring at his female student in shock, hundreds of thoughts whipping through his head. Sakura had proved to be and incredibly powerful and intelligent ninja, all his students had, but this? The Rasengan was a one of a kind technique, it wasn't something that could be accidently discovered or used. Hell, Kakashi could do the technique thanks to his Sharingan, but he sure didn't know how to teach it. Where had Sakura learned it?

Before Kakashi could confront his student, The Third Hokage called all people who passed down onto the arena floor. Once everyone was gathered, Ibiki had everyone draw a number from a box. Once everyone had a number, it was revealed that the Third Exam would be a tournament.

Sakura vs. Choji

Naruto vs. Shino

Temari vs. Lee

Ino vs. Sasuke

Kankuro vs. Shikimaru

The Third Hokage explained that they would each have one month to train in preparation for the actual third exam. Once he was certain everyone understood, they were all dismissed.

Kakashi immediately latched his hand onto Sakura's shoulder. "Team meeting. Now." The three nodded, having expected this, and followed Kakashi out the tower. The silver-haired Jonin lead them to training ground three and ordered them to sit.

Kakashi paced back and forth in front of his students, trying to organize his thoughts. He finally turned towards Sakura. "I'll start with you. Where did you learn the Rasengan?" Sakura said nothing, instead she simply pointed at Naruto. Kakashi's visible eye latched onto his blonde student. "You taught it to her? You know it as well?"

Naruto nodded, holding out his hand and forming a Rasengan above his palm. Sakura leaned forward, creating her own Rasengan next to Naruto. Sasuke completed the image by adding his own Rasengan into the mix.

Kakashi was reeling. One student knowing his teacher's technique was one thing, but all three? This was spiraling out of control. "Where did you learn that technique?" Kakashi demanded.

Naruto dispelled his Rasengan and spoke. "How much do you know about the seal holding the Kyuubi?" Kakashi's eyes darted over towards Sasuke and Sakura.

"We know sensei. We've known for a long time." Sakura said simply. Sasuke nodded in agreement.

Filing that information away for later, Kakashi turned back to Naruto. "Not terribly much. Seals were never my specialty, and the Fourth Hokage was one of the best seal masters ever seen. The seal to hold the Kyuubi is especially complicated."

Naruto nodded and pulled up his shirt slightly, enough to reveal the seal. Naruto placed his finger on a small spiral within the main seal. The small spiral glowed slightly, before a puff of smoke unloaded a scroll into Naruto's hand.

Naruto tossed the scroll to Kakashi. "Dad was something else; he placed this smaller seal within my main one. It was designed to release that scroll once I reached thirteen years old."

Kakashi ripped open the scroll. It was a letter, from the Fourth Hokage; Kakashi could recognize his teacher's handwriting anywhere.

'_Naruto.' _It read. _'I'm writing this with the sincere hope that you'll never have to read it. Your mother, Kushina Uzumaki, is pregnant with you and is rapidly approaching child birth. I'll be frank, Kushina is the current Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi and we fear that the seal containing the beast will weaken while Kushina is giving birth and the Fox may escape. If that happens, not only will Kushina lose her life, but I may have to surrender my own to re seal the Kyuubi.'_

'_I know that the life of a Jinchuuriki isn't an easy one, so I leave to you one of my greatest techniques; The Rasengan.'_

What followed were a set of simple, yet precise instructions on how to properly create the Rasengan, along with a small note at the bottom.

'_The Rasengan, though powerful, is an incomplete technique. My goal was to incorporate elemental chakra into the technique, but I have been unsuccessful. If anyone can succeed where I failed, I know it will be you Naruto. Make me proud, son.'_

_-Minato Namikaze._

Kakashi fell to his knees, clutching the scroll in his hands. 'Son? Minato sensei had a son?' Kakashi's gaze latched onto Naruto, specifically his blonde hair and blue eyes. 'Dear God, how could I be so blind?'

"Naruto… I-I'm so sorry. I-"

"It's alright Kakashi sensei. I put it behind me." 'A very long time ago.' Naruto silently added. The scroll did indeed exist, but it was locked within the Hokage's vault. Naruto had spent so many hours scouring over message from his father, Naruto could easily recreate it.

"And both of you knew about this?" Kakashi asked his other two students.

"We don't keep secrets from each other, Kakashi." Sasuke responded. "We're not just a team. We're friends, we're comrades, and the closest thing to family I've got left."

Kakashi lowered his head, silently closing the scroll and returning it to Naruto. 'Friends, comrades, family.' Kakashi once again found himself humbled by the display of closeness his students exhibited.

"You three are really something else. I don't think I've ever encountered any ninja like you before." Kakashi sighed as he got to his feet. "Besides, this is a momentous day. All three of you have made it through to the Final exam. I think we should discuss what sort of training you three will be doing."

The three glanced at each other, Kakashi had spent enough time with his students to understand that they were each silently conversing which each other, something that never ceased to amaze Kakashi.

"Actually sensei, since we each made it through the exam, we don't think it would be fair for you to train us. Instead, we think it would be better to pursue our training separately." Sakura said. Kakashi nodded sadly, they were right, it would be better if they practiced alone to hide any new techniques they created.

"I understand, and I think you three are right. But how about we take tonight to go out and get some dinner together?"

"Yes!" Three excited voices yelled at once.

Scene Break

After leaving the restaurant and bidding goodbye to Kakashi, the three time-travelers discussed their plans for the coming month. They were far beyond the point where anyone else in the exam could threaten them, especially since Gaara had been defeated.

"So, what are you guys going to do?" Sasuke asked.

"I'm going to go home." Sakura decided. "I'm going to spend some quality time with my mother; it's been far too long."

Naruto nodded. "I think I'll do the same with Iruka. What about you, Sasuke?"

Sasuke thought for a moment. "I know we aren't training under him, but I think I'll hang out with Kakashi." Sasuke really did respect Kakashi, and he really enjoyed hearing the Jonin's old war stories. Especially the stories about Obito or as Sasuke like to call him, the Last Pure Uchiha.

"That's good." Sakura agreed. "I think the poor guy was really disappointed he couldn't train us. It will do that lonely man some good to have some company."

"See you guys in a month?" Naruto asked.

"Count on it."

Scene Break

Sakura awoke the next day and wandered down stairs towards the kitchen. Her mother, Sayuri Haruno, was standing over the stove. Sakura had returned so late last night, she had decided to simply go to bed and talk to her mother the next day. Sakura cleared her throat to gain her mother's attention.

Sayuri turned around in surprise. "Sakura, you're home! I thought you were taking the Chunin exam?"

Sakura nodded. "I am. I've passed the first two exams and the preliminaries. The Third Exam will take place in about a month. Since I have so much time, I thought we could spend some time together."

Sayuri was thrilled. She had barely seen her daughter since she became a ninja. It seemed that Sakura spent all her time either training or spending time with Sasuke and that Uzumaki boy. The thought of spending time with Sakura made her very excited.

"That sounds like a great idea, honey. Here, let me cook you breakfast." Sakura watched her mother move about the kitchen. It felt odd to know that this woman had given birth to her, but Sakura was centuries older than she was.

Sakura got to her feet and stood next to her mother. "Here Mom, let me help you." Sayuri beamed at Sakura and allowed her to help in making breakfast. With both of them working together, the meal was quickly prepared.

Sakura and Sayuri sat down across from each other, eating their meals silently. Sayuri looked at her daughter and couldn't help but notice the changes that had seemed to happen overnight. The most obvious was Sakura's hair. Sakura had always taken great pride in her hair and Sayuri had nearly had a heart attack when she saw it cut. Sakura's reasoning had been flippant at best.

"I'm a ninja mom, I need to act like one and that means less time on my hair and more on training."

Speaking of training, Sakura's body had most certainly changed as well. Sakura had always been a lithe, but not terribly athletic girl. The young woman sitting across from Sayuri however looked like a star athlete. Sakura's arms had developed noticeable muscle bulges and the baby fat on her face, what little there had been, was now completely gone. Sayuri wouldn't be surprised to learn that even Sakura's abdominal muscles were now clearly defined.

There was one thing that stuck out to Sayuri more than anything else though, Sakura's attitude. Sakura was a teenage girl, and that came with a lot of emotional stress, Sayuri could most certainly testify to that. Before graduating, Sakura had been loud, boisterous, and confrontational, but beneath the surface she was insecure about her looks, her love life, her grades, everything.

Now though? It was like a switch had been flipped within Sakura's head. The girl had calmed down considerably and rarely raised her voice anymore, and Sayuri could tell that her insecurities had seemingly vanished. When Sakura walked, it wasn't the carefully measured movements of a growing, insecure teenager; it was the confidant stride of a woman comfortable in her own skin. Sakura walked with her head high, her shoulders straight, and confidence radiating from around her.

Sayuri had no idea what Sakura was doing while training, but it definitely seemed to agree with her. As much as Sayuri was glad to see Sakura adjusting so well, her motherhood instinct to protect her daughter from danger was still paramount. Sayuri felt she had to broach this subject.

"Sakura." She said slowly, gaining her daughter's attention. "If you pass this exam, then you become a Chunin?" Sakura nodded. "So that means you'll be going on even more missions outside of the village. Sakura instantly knew where this conversation was going and mentally prepared herself.

"Sweetie, a ninja life is very dangerous. When you leave the walls of the Leaf, you can be a target for wild animals, bandits, or even other ninja. Wouldn't it be better to just stay a genin, or even quit being a ninja all together? You're a smart girl, I'm sure you could find another career."

Sakura had to actively fight down a token, rehearsed response that the loops had taught her would pacify her mother long enough to get out of the house. This is her mother, dammit! She deserves a real answer.

Sakura took a few moments to compose her answer. "Mom, I understand where you're coming from, really I do." Sakura glanced out the kitchen window. "Look out that window, mom. What do you see?"

Sayuri looked out the window. She saw the modest garden she tended to, a couple of kids wandering by, and down the street she could see the very beginnings of the Market District. Sayuri told her daughter as such.

Sakura shook her head ruefully. "I see a village that doesn't understand how dangerous the world is. Mom, do you realize that we are currently sitting on a powder keg that could erupt into a full war? I don't know if you're aware of this or not, but we've received a recent influx of business and trade." Sayuri nodded. "That didn't just come out of nowhere. All that business was redirected to us from the Village Hidden in the Sand by order of the Wind Daimyo. Sand's economy is rapidly crashing because they lost over sixty percent of their main income. They're getting desperate, and desperation is dangerous. Sand could very well start a war with Leaf."

Sayuri was shocked. "Sakura, you can't think like that, we're allies with Sand. They would never attack us."

Sakura just shook her head sadly. "Mom, It's my job to think like that. I've taken a mission to Sand before. It's horrible. People are losing their jobs, families aren't getting fed, and people are looking for someone to blame. It's impossible not to feel the animosity directed towards the Leaf when you're in the thick of it."

Sakura sighed. "It's easy to pretend that such tragedy doesn't happen because the Leaf is so peaceful, but the tragedy is most certainly there. The tragedy breeds animosity, and that animosity is rapidly coming to a head. Frankly, I think an attack by the Sand village is inevitable."

"Sakura!" Sayuri admonished. "I will not have that kind of talk in this house. There is no reason to believe that the Sand will do anything to the Leaf. We're a peaceful city and have nothing to be ashamed of. And I don't see what this has to do with you being a ninja."

Sakura laughed out loud at that. The Hokage vaults contained scrolls and mission reports that would make a person's skin crawl. Thinking that the Leaf had no shame to hide was incredibly naïve. Not that Sakura blamed her mother; she herself had once held those same naïve ideals. But Sakura had seen too much, learned too much, done too much, to ever be able to look at the Leaf as a shining utopia of moral upstanding ever again.

"Mom, when was the last time you ever left the village? No, forget that, when was the last time you even visited the slums?" Sakura asked.

Sayuri gasped. "Sakura Haruno, what are you doing running around in the slums?"

Sakura shrugged. "We're given missions there occasionally. Sometimes we have to bring in thieves, criminals, and the like. I can tell you right now that it isn't so shiny down in the slum quarters." Sakura heaved a sigh. "But let's get back to the topic at hand, what does all this have to do with me being a ninja?"

Sakura pointed out the window. "Those people out there don't understand how delicate the current era of peace really is. We're one slip away from another Great Ninja War. At any moment this idyllic scene you see here could become a battle field." Something Sakura had seen happen again, again and again.

"That's why I want to be a ninja. These people, this village, this way of life? Maybe it's naïve, and maybe it doesn't fully grasp the situations outside its own borders, but it's worth fighting for. As a ninja of the Leaf, it's my job to protect this village to my last breath, to lay down my own life so that others may live. It's my job to ensure that the citizens of the Leaf can sleep easy at night, because they know they have people like me defending them. Mom, I'm a Kunoichi of the Leaf, and I'm a pretty damn good one at that. This is what I want to be, a part of a larger whole. And years from now, when I finally hang up my headband and retire? I'll be able to rest easy, because I'll have done everything in my power to defend this village and everyone in it."

Sakura grabbed her empty plate and moved to the sink, silently cleaning it as she allowed her words to sink in.

Sayuri's mind was reeling, trying to come to terms with what she had just heard. What had happened to her little girl? To the small pink-haired girl who she used to comfort at night because the other kids picked on her or because her crush rejected her? That little girl seemed to have vanished and in her place was this strong, confidant young woman who was ready to die to defend her home.

The elder Haruno slowly got to her feet and walked over towards her daughter. Sakura turned around and was about to speak when Sayuri placed her hand on Sakura's cheek. For a moment, mother and daughter simply stared into each other's eyes. Finally, Sayuri gave a sad smile.

"Look at you. My little girl is all grown up now. I don't know how, but it seems like I blinked and missed watching you grow. I pray that you'll still have time in your life as a ninja to spend some time with your mother?"

Sakura sprang forward, throwing her arms around her mother. "Oh mom, of course I'll spend time with you. Like I said, I've got the entire month before the Chunin exams start up again. What do you say we get dressed and spend the day shopping, just like old times?"

Sayuri smiled warmly. "I'd like that."

Scene Break

Naruto tilted his bowl backwards, allowing the remaining broth to flow into his mouth. He gave a satisfied sigh once the bowl was empty. It had been too long since he last enjoyed ramen. Iruka watched with amusement as Naruto finished off his ramen.

"I'm really proud of you, Naruto. You've made it all the way to the third exams on your first try." Iruka praised.

Naruto barely managed to suppress his laughter at Iruka's 'first try' comment. "Thanks Iruka, but I can't take all the credit. I'm only as good as my team."

Iruka's smile widened. "So you've been getting along with Sakura and Sasuke?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, those two are the best." Naruto grinned.

"I'm glad to hear that, I was afraid you three wouldn't get along at all."

Naruto's smile faded slightly. "We didn't at first. At the beginning we pretty much couldn't stand one another. But as time went on, we got to know each other better, we saved each other's skins a few times, and now I couldn't imagine two better friends."

Iruka was surprised. He had initially been against Naruto being on a team with Sasuke and Sakura considering the three didn't particularly like each other, but the Third Hokage had overruled his protests. It seemed that the Third Hokage had been proven correct, just as Kakashi had been right about his team being ready for the Chunin exams.

It made Iruka a little sad to realize his affection for Naruto had caused him to want to shelter the boy and protect him. Iruka had underestimated Naruto, and was grateful to be proven wrong. Naruto was on his way to becoming a respected ninja of the Leaf.

"Eat as much as you want, Naruto. I'll pay for it."

"Thanks, Iruka."

Iruka just smiled.

Scene Break

Kakashi stood in front of the Memorial Stone, staring down at the names of everyone he cared about. Kakashi allowed the memories to consume him as he reflected on how much he had failed Obito, Rin, and Minato sensei especially. 'Minato, I promise I'll protect your son.'

Kakashi suddenly realized he wasn't alone. Sasuke was standing next to him, staring down at the memorial stone with the same intensity Kakashi had been. "Shouldn't you be training?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke turned away from the Memorial Stone to look at Kakashi. "We decided to take rest a bit before training. Naruto is spending time with Iruka and Sakura is with her mother." Sasuke shrugged. "So I was hoping I could hang out with you."

Kakashi stared down at his student, shocked by the admission. Sasuke returned his gaze to the Memorial Stone.

"You said this stone was a memorial to those who died in the line of duty, heroes who gave their lives for the Leaf. Was there anyone you knew?"

Kakashi heaved a sad sigh. "Yes, in fact, most everyone I cared about is here. They gave everything for this village." Kakashi debated with himself before speaking again. "Sasuke, have you ever wondered about how I got my Sharingan?"

Sasuke nodded. "I assumed you would tell me if you wanted me to know. I didn't want to pry."

Kakashi smiled. "I appreciate that. It's a personal story, but I think you have a right to know. Would you like to?" Sasuke nodded again. "Then let me tell you a tale about my teammate and my best friend; Obito Uchiha."

Scene Break

The month flew by in a flash and the Third Exam was quickly upon them. Those who passed the Preliminary round were gathered in a large arena, while a new proctor, Genma Shiranui, explained how the tournament structure was going to work.

Team 7 winced upon seeing Genma, because his presence meant that Hayate Gekko was dead. The three time travelers were enjoying spending time with their loved ones so much, they had completely forgotten to save the sickly Jonin's life from Kabuto and the Sand Jonin, Baki. They would have to remember to send Yugao some flowers once the invasion was over.

The first match was soon called, Sakura vs. Choji. Everyone else retreated to the viewing area as the two combatants faced one another. However, before the match could begin, feathers began to float down from the sky.

'Kabuto's activating the illusion _now?_' Sakura mentally questioned while dispelling the sleeping illusion. Choji was not so lucky and he was quickly asleep.

"Sakura!" The pink haired girl turned to see Naruto and Sasuke, who were standing over a bound, gagged, and unconscious Kankuro and Temari. Naruto pointed up towards the Kage box and Sakura nodded in understanding. The three time-travelers shot off towards the roof of the Kage box.

Scene Break

Orochimaru was frustrated. It seemed that all his carefully laid plans were going awry. Not only did Sasuke and his teammates manage to somehow remove his curse seal, but according to Gaara, the Shukaku refused to come out after being so thoroughly beaten by Sakura.

Orochimaru needed a two pronged attack on the Leaf, so he had taken a risk and left a clone on the outskirts of the village to summon Manda once the invasion began. Hopefully all the civilians available to be devoured would placate the Boss Summon enough to prevent him from turning on Orochimaru. Orochimaru hoped that the triplets would distract Jiraiya enough so that Manda could finish off whatever toads the pervert summoned.

Since he didn't have to wait on Gaara losing control over the Shukaku, Orochimaru saw no reason to delay and had told Kabuto to begin the invasion immediately. Orochimaru took a sick sense of joy watching as his former teacher put the pieces together in his head and slowly turned to face Orochimaru in his disguise as the Kazekage.

"Shall we get going?" Orochimaru mocked as his disguised Sound Four activated a smoke bomb, allowing Orochimaru to grab Sarutobi and drag him to the roof. The snake Sannin held a kunai to the Third Hokage's neck, holding him in place long enough for the Sound Four to erect the Violet Flame Battle Encampment, cutting off any back up Sarutobi could have used.

Orochimaru removed his disguise, revealing his face. "Surprised, Sarutobi Sensei? How does it fell to know that your own allies betrayed you and-" The Sannin was cut off by a shuriken very nearly impacting with his face. Orochimaru was forced to release his former teacher to dodge the projectile.

"Hey, is this a private party or can anyone join in?" Naruto asked as he, Sakura, and Sasuke all revealed themselves.

"What are you three doing here?" Sarutobi shouted. "You all need to leave immediately!" Sarutobi would never be able to forgive himself if such young children were killed in the crossfire between himself and his student.

Naruto casually glanced around the roof, which was completely covered by the Sound Four's barrier. "I think leaving is out of the question, Gramps. Beside, we're here to help you."

Sarutobi cursed as he removed his Kage robes, revealing the battle armor beneath. "Fine, but I want you three to stand back and let me handle this."

All three stepped forward to stand next to the Hokage. "No can do, Gramps. We're here to fight. Trust me; you'll need all the help you can get."

Orochimaru watched with detached amusement. These three were certainly brave if nothing else. The Sannin decided that their involvement would change little in his plans, and might actually be beneficial. Killing the three children in front of his old teacher could serve as an excellent distraction and demoralizer.

While Sarutobi attempted to convince Team 7 to retreat, Orochimaru took the time given to him to activate his jutsu. "Forbidden Jutsu: Impure World Resurrection! One!" A coffin with the symbol for the number one erupted from the ground.

Sarutobi paled as he realized what his former student was doing. "Two!" Orochimaru shouted as a second coffin joined the first. Sarutobi attempted to intervene before the final coffin could be raised, but he was too late. "Four!" As the last coffin held the symbol for four appeared, Naruto dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach in pain.

"Naruto? What's wrong." Before he could answer, the three coffins opened. Three very well-known figures stepped out. The First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju, and the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. They looked worn down, as if their bodies were barely being held together, but they were unmistakable.

"Orochimaru." Sarutobi hissed. "Just how far have you fallen?"

"Wait a minute, I thought Minato's soul was taken by the Death God to seal the Kyuubi. How is he here?" Sakura asked. Sarutobi found himself wondering the exact same thing.

"It's because I'm here." Naruto realized. "When dad sealed the Kyuubi within me, he put a part of his soul within me as well as a fail-safe. Orochimaru's technique must have reacted to that fragment and allowed the jutsu to succeed."

"Is that even possible?"

"Apparently!

"Well shit." Sasuke swore. "This isn't going to be easy."

"When is it ever for us?" Naruto groaned as he got back to his feet

Orochimaru gleefully implanted his restoration seals into the heads of each Kage, causing all three of them to lose their decaying features and regain their youthful looks. Tobirama and Hashirama were casually commenting on their situation, but Minato's white eyes were latched onto the blond talking with Sarutobi.

"Naruto?" He whispered.

Naruto turned to face the Fourth and grinned. "Hi Dad. Wish we could have met on better terms, but it's nice to see you none the less."

Orochimaru certainly wasn't expecting this. "You're the son of the Fourth Hokage?"

The question was directed at Naruto, Minato was the one who answered. "Yes. He took the name Uzumaki after his mother, Kushina."

"How cruel, being forced to fight against your own son." Tobirama lamented.

Hashirama's blank eyes narrowed. "An Uzumaki? Then he's the current Jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi?"

"Yes. I sealed it into him after it used Kushina's birth to escape." Minato answered, his head hung low.

"It's alright, Dad. I forgave you a long time ago." Naruto said.

Sasuke stepped forward, his Sharingan activated. "I hate to interrupt, but we are in the middle of a war, are we not?"

Tobirama's expression darkened as he realized Sasuke was an Uchiha. "Indeed. You brought us here to fight, did you not?" The Second Hokage asked Orochimaru. The Sannin had been stunned by the knowledge that the Fourth Hokage had a son, so he had forgotten his goal here.

"Right, we're here to kill Sarutobi."

The Third Hokage was mentally distressing over the thought of facing three Kages at once while having to worry about three genin. He was surprised by Naruto placing a hand on his shoulder. "Lord Hokage, you can handle Orochimaru, right?" Sarutobi was confused by the question and Naruto's sudden formal tone, but he nodded. "Good, then while you fight him, I'll take on Dad."

Before Sarutobi could protest, Sasuke spoke up. "I'll deal with the Second Hokage."

"That leaves the First to me." Sakura confirmed.

"You all can't take on three Kages." Sarutobi exclaimed. "They're far too strong for children to fight."

To his surprise, Naruto nodded. "He's right guys; we can't afford to hold back in this fight." Sasuke and Sakura nodded in agreement and began to flash through seals, Naruto quickly joining them.

"Seven Style: Physical Limit!" Everyone watched in amazement as Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke began to grow and age before their very eyes. Their clothes shifted with them, growing and expanding as their wearers rapidly aged. The three young teenagers now stood as full adults.

Sarutobi could barely speak. "Naruto… how?"

"We'll talk later, Lord Hokage." Naruto said, his voice now a rich baritone compared to his younger, much higher pitched voice. "For now, it's time to throw down!"

Naruto charged forward with incredible speed. Minato charged as well, clashing with his son. The two blondes began to furiously exchange blows at a pace the spectators found hard to follow.

Hashirama appeared intent to interfere, no doubt believing his wood abilities would be needed to subdue the Kyuubi, but Sakura didn't give him the chance. The pink haired ninja rammed the first Hokage directly in the gut, her strength sending him flying to the opposite side of the roof. She leapt after him while Naruto and Minato were still trading ludicrously fast blows.

Tobirama took advantage of the distraction and launched a water dragon at Sasuke. The Uchiha jumped over the aquatic serpent and attempted to run along its back towards Tobirama. However, Sasuke underestimated the Hokage's ability to manipulate water and was unprepared for the Water Dragon to suddenly turn into a Water Prison technique.

"Classic Uchiha arrogance." Tobirama said as he stuck his hand in the orb to maintain it. "You just charge in thinking your precious Sharingan and your little fire techniques will be all you need. That won't work on me, boy."

Sasuke was actually offended. "Excuse me? _Fire_ techniques?" The entire water prison was suddenly consumed in light as electricity surged through the prison, incinerating Tobirama's hand. The water orb fell away, revealing Sasuke standing in a full Lightning Cloak. "I'm a Lightning elemental, motherfucker!"

Tobirama's hand quickly regenerated thanks to the Impure Resurrection technique. He stared at his hand idly for a moment before returning his focus to Sasuke. "It's rare for a Uchiha to stray from their precious fire techniques. You might be worth fighting after all."

The random droplets of water surrounding Sasuke from the Water Prison suddenly shot into the air and formed needles made of water. "Water Style: Needle Pain." Sasuke jumped into the air, only to be intercepted by Tobirama. The former Hokage slammed his foot into Sasuke gut and threw two kunai directly towards Sasuke's eyes.

The raven haired time-traveler only barely managed to avoid losing his eyes and attempted to launch a lighting technique at Tobirama. Sasuke's opponent was one step ahead of him and used his free hand to slam his palm onto Sasuke's forehead. "Bringer of Darkness Technique."

Tobirama leapt away, causing Sasuke to fall to the ground. As the Uchiha got to his feet, he realized he could no longer see anything. "Surprised?" Tobirama's voice came from the darkness. "I know how to fight an Uchiha. Take away their famed sight and they crumble. You're no match for me."

Sasuke took a deep breath to calm himself and deactivated his Sharingan. With his sight blocked, they would only cost him Chakra. He reached into his pocket and removed a black blindfold. Sasuke spoke as he tied the cloth over his eyes.

"That may be, but I'm not like my arrogant ancestors who relied on their sight. Unlike other Uchiha, I have trained myself to fight while blind." The blindfold was unnecessary in the face of the Second Hokage's Technique, but the familiar feeling of the cloth over his eyes comforted Sasuke and allowed him to relax. Getting stressed out and panicking in the middle of a fight against someone as skilled as a Hokage would be fatal.

The illusion only blocked his eyesight, Sasuke's other senses were untouched. All he had to do was block out the sounds of his friends' battles and focus on the small miniscule sounds of his opponent. Considering his opponent didn't breath or have a heartbeat, this was considerably more difficult than usual. Still, Sasuke had trained himself well, and could make out the small scuffle of the Second Hokage's feet on the tile of the roof.

'There!' Sasuke pinpointed his opponent and charged. Tobirama was surprised when the Uchiha managed to accurately locate him without the use of his sight. He was forced to jump to the side to avoid the Uchiha's attack.

"Impressive." He muttered. This proved to be a mistake as Sasuke clearly heard him and launched a ball of lighting at the deceased Hokage. "Water Style: Water Wall." A circle of water surrounded Tobirama, absorbing the electricity from Sasuke's attack. "Water Style: Shock Back." Tobirama urged the water forward, nailing Sasuke with a blast of water charged with electricity.

To the Hokage's surprise, Sasuke seemed unaffected by the electricity and only seemed to be slightly wet from the attack. "I'm a Lightning Master." Sasuke declared. "It's easy for me to conduct and absorb electricity, especially from my own attacks. Thunder Style: Wave Surge!" Sasuke threw out his hands to his sides, causing a wave of lightning to expand from his body.

The Second Hokage wasn't expecting such an attack and didn't have time to dodge or find cover. Thankfully, his resurrected body was able to recover from the considerable damage done by his opponents attack. Once his body properly reformed, Tobirama rushed in to engage in close combat.

To the former Hokage's consternation, not only was Sasuke holding his own but he was actually gaining ground. The boy hadn't been lying; he was perfectly capable of fighting while blind. Tobirama lashed out with a high kick, but Sasuke ducked underneath and sliced off the leg with a Lightning Blade. The appendage quickly began to regrow, but it left Tobirama temporarily off balance, something Sasuke was all too eager to exploit.

The blind Uchiha swept his opponents foot out with a low kick. Tobirama caught himself with his hands, but Sasuke flipped over the downed Hokage and slammed an electrically charged elbow directly into Tobirama's head. "Thunder Style: Volt Drop!"

The Hokage's head exploded open from the attack. Sasuke had hoped that destroying the head would destroy the special seal and kunai Orochimaru had placed in his head. With a sick amount of fascination, Sasuke watched as the Kunai and Seal burrowed down the Undead Hokage's neck before the head began to reform. Sasuke leapt back before the Tobirama could retaliate.

'If the seal was designed to move itself out of danger, then the entire body would have to be obliterated.' Sasuke thought. Idly pulling off his blindfold as he realized he could see again. 'Easier said than done. It will take some serious firepower to pull that off.'

Tobirama pulled himself to his feet, he found his respect for this Uchiha rapidly rising. He seemed unconcerned with the loss of his eyesight, which would have any Uchiha Tobirama knew in hysterics. He was comfortable in his own element, able to use it to a level that seemed to rival the Second Hokage's own. Not only that, but the boy had landed no less than three critical blows and one fatal. If it wasn't for the Impure Resurrection technique, Tobirama knew he would have already lost.

"It seems that the Uchiha clan has grown after my death. To think that they could produce someone like you."

Sasuke snorted. "The entire Uchiha clan is dead. The only ones left are me and my older brother."

This was most certainly news to Tobirama. "Dead? The entire clan? One of the founding Clans of the Leaf was wiped out? How? By who?" Tobirama distrusted the Uchiha clan, but he knew that the Sharingan was a valuable asset that could greatly help the Leaf. It was why he restrained them to a small section of the Leaf as opposed to banishing them as he wished he could have done.

Sasuke sighed. "My brother massacred the clan before going rogue and leaving the village."

"Why would your brother betray the Leaf like that?"

Sasuke snapped. "Don't talk about my brother like that! He one of best ninja this village ever had!" Sasuke took a moment to calm down. "The Uchiha clan was planning a revolution. They felt they weren't being given the proper respect and authority they deserved. My brother was not only the son of the clan head, but a prodigy that hadn't been seen for years. The clan planned to use him to lead the revolution against the Leaf, but my brother wouldn't do it. He was loyal to the Leaf, and was able to understand that the Uchiha clan were going to spill innocent blood to fill their own greed."

Sasuke shook his head sadly. "My brother tried everything to convince my father to rethink his plans, but he refused. So my brother was given a horrifying order. He was ordered to slaughter the Uchiha clan. Every man, woman, and child was to be put to death. My brother followed that order, save for one critical detail."

Tobirama was no fool, and instantly understood what Sasuke was alluding to. "You." He said simply.

"Me." Sasuke confirmed grimly. "I was nowhere near as skilled as my brother, so I was unaware of the plans. Despite his loyalty to the Leaf, despite his resolve to harden his heart and kill his family, despite being given direct orders from the Hokage himself, my brother couldn't bring himself to kill me. He spared me that night, at the cost of himself. Instead of being hailed as a hero who stopped a revolution single handedly, he was forced to flee the village for disobeying orders. As far as my brother was concerned, my life was more important than the village."

Tobirama stared at the man before him in shock, unable to believe how badly the Uchiha situation had become after his death. "Dammit, brother!" He cursed under his breath. "I told you the Uchiha couldn't be trusted."

Tobirama gave the Uchiha before him a calculating look. "I have one question, where does _your_ loyalty lie? Do you side with your clan, or with the village?"

Sasuke sighed as he ran his hand through his hair, looking off towards the distance. "My clan were prideful fools who let their own damn pride push them to try and ruin the lives of everyone around them. A civil war in the middle of the village would have only resulted in pointless bloodshed and the Uchiha would have most likely been all killed anyway. As far as I'm concerned, they deserve to rot in hell for what they've done."

"As for the village, I won't lie to you; I understand why they did what they did. They had no choice but to put down the rebellion quickly and quietly before it could truly begin. I'm not so naïve as to blame the village for doing their job and protecting the civilians from a group of power hungry extremists. My clan brought their deaths upon themselves, I don't blame the village."

"But your loyalty isn't to the Leaf." Tobirama said. It wasn't a question.

Sasuke gave a bitter smirk. "You don't miss a thing, do you?. No, my loyalty is not to the Leaf."

"Then where do you loyalties lie?"

Without hesitation, Sasuke pointed to where Sakura and Naruto were fighting the First and Fourth Hokage. "To my friends. They're my comrades who have stood by me through thick and thin. They are, without exaggeration, the most important people in my life. When the chips are down, my place is by their side. I'll defend my village, I promise you that, but I'll be fighting with Naruto and Sakura."

Despite himself, Tobirama smirked. "Good answer, Uchiha. It brings me comfort to know that the Will of Fire still burns strong." Tobirama settled down into a battle stance. "Now then, I believe it's time for us to finish this."

Sasuke nodded and entered his own battle stance. The two prepared to leap back into battle when Naruto's voice suddenly rang out.

"Sasuke! Sakura!"

Scene Break

Sakura had to admit, the barrier put up by the Sound Four was pretty impressive. Anything that came in contact with the barrier was nearly incinerated. This included anyone trying to break through the barrier, or any living trees that ran headlong into it.

Sakura's agility was being pushed to maximum to avoid Hashirama's wood jutsu. Thankfully, the barrier really helped get rid of the wood, but Hashirama was too smart to keep falling for such a simple trick and was avoiding getting his trees to close to the barrier.

Sakura had to admit she was frustrated. Here she was, facing off against a Hokage and a world famous Earth elemental as well. Sakura was practically drooling over the thought of going toe to toe against Hashirama using her Earth Jutsu, but because they were trapped on a goddamn roof she couldn't use any of her best elemental attacks! Life just isn't fair sometimes.

Sakura was instead forced to limit herself to her secondary element. Out of her team, Sakura was the only one with a second affinity. Naruto was purely Wind, Sasuke was purely Thunder, but Sakura was primarily Earth with a secondary affinity in Fire. Sakura didn't use Fire Jutsu terribly often, she much more preferred using the grand, crushing power of the very ground to attack her opponents. That wasn't an option at the moment, so Sakura had to make do with what she had.

"Fire Style: Blazing Palms!" With her hands alight, Sakura slammed both her hands into the large tree before her. The wood was blown apart, both halves becoming incinerated by the flames. She lashed out with her burning fists to disintegrate another tree attempting to attack her from behind.

"You're quite skilled for a mere genin." Hashirama observed quietly. Sakura shot the man a grin.

"Coming from the First Hokage, that's an incredible honor. However, I'm just getting started!" Sakura jumped backwards to get clear of the murderous trees and prepare her technique. The flames surrounding her fists began to grow and grow, until both her arms were consumed in the flames. Once finished with that, Sakura lowered her head and began to inhale a deep breath. Hashirama watched with fascination as the fire surrounding his opponent's arms was literally sucked into her mouth. Sakura leaned back, the fire coating the inside of her throat, before opening her mouth.

Sakura screamed.

Hashirama was completely unprepared for the massive sound wave that vaporized the trees he'd summoned and peeled the skin from his reanimated body. He was blown backwards by the heated blast of sound, nearly impacting with flame barrier. He only barely managed to avoid such an impact, but was still incapacitated until his skin regrew itself.

Sakura dropped to her knee, gasping for breath. The Wail of Fire was one of Sakura's strongest techniques, but it took a serious toll on her vocal chords. She had developed the technique during her time with Orochimaru. Sakura had been inspired by the Sound techniques used by the other ninja, so she wanted to develop her own. Sakura screaming her lungs out had worked relatively well, creating a blast of concentrated sound, but she wanted to take it a step farther. By absorbing fire before the attack, it allowed Sakura to super heat her sound wave, massively increasing the damage it dealt.

After regaining her breath and quickly healing her throat, Sakura got back to her feet. Most of the trees summoned by Hashirama had been destroyed, but he could just summon more. Feeling better, Sakura rushed over to where her opponent lied on the ground, his wounds slowly but surely healing. Sakura grabbed the prone form of the First Hokage and raised him up above her head. Sakura took a moment to marvel at the sheer audacity of what she was about to, before slamming The First Hokage's spine down onto her knee. Sakura put her full strength into the attack, causing the Hokage to snap in half.

Sakura threw the useless legs into the barrier, where they caught on fire. She then placed her foot on Hashirama's chest and used it as leverage to rip off his arms as well. Tossing those away into the barrier, Sakura looked over her handy work. The First Hokage's wounds were healing, but very slowly. Sakura had some time before he would be back in fighting condition.

"Your strength is incredible." Hashirama commented. Sakura was slightly unnerved by how casually he was talking, but supposed he couldn't actually feel pain in his current form.

"You honor me with your praise, Lord Hokage. I learned my strength from your granddaughter." Sakura saw no real reason to lie since the Hokage was dead anyway and probably wouldn't be kept around be Orochimaru once the Invasion was over.

"Tsunade? She taught you? No wonder you are so experienced at dodging and predicting my wood techniques, she must have taught you my style." Sakura nodded in agreement, though in actuality she learned how to combat wood techniques by sparing with Yamato.

"Yep! Lady Tsunade taught me well. I'm the strongest Kunoichi in the Leaf." Sakura proclaimed proudly.

Hashirama chuckled. "I would normally admonish you for your arrogance but I think you earned it." He said, glancing down at his limbless body. "You remind me of my wife."

"You mean Mito Uzumaki? The first Jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi?" Sakura asked, unable to believe she was being compared to not only a Jinchuuriki, but the wife of a Hokage! It's been quite a day.

Hashirama was surprised. "You're certainly knowledgeable."

Sakura rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "My teammate is an Uzumaki, one of the last ones alive in fact. He's also the current Jinchuuriki for the Nine-Tails. My team and I have thoroughly researched the Uzumaki clan and Jinchuuriki so we aren't taken by surprise by anything."

Hashirama nodded. "A wise decision. You seem to take the fact that your friend contains a demon within him rather well."

Sakura snorted. "I've known about the Kyuubi for a long time. Naruto is my friend. We've had each other's backs for a very long time. I could care less about the Kyuubi, all that matters to me is Naruto."

Hashirama smiled. "Jinchuuriki often lead lonely lives. I'm glad to see that the current Jinchuuriki has people who care about him." The First Hokage suddenly shot to his feet and lashed out at Sakura. The pink-haired time-traveler cursed as she realized she was so caught up in the conversation she didn't notice that her opponent had completely healed. She managed to dodge the blow, but only barely.

Sakura jumped back to gain some distance. "I apologize." Hashirama said. "I was enjoying our talk, but I don't have full control over my body at the moment. It seems we must continue our battle."

Before Sakura could reply, Naruto's voice rang out. "Sasuke! Sakura!"

Scene Break

Naruto had been the Hokage multiple times. As such, he understood what a painful and stressful job it was. Every day you were forced to send men and woman out of the village on assignments that they might not make it back from. As Hokage, you had to understand that sacrifices had to be made for the good of the village and being willing to carry out said sacrifices at a moment's notice.

Naruto understood why his father had sealed the Kyuubi into Naruto. Both because of his Uzumaki heritage and to save the village from annihilation. Naruto had long since come to terms with the fact that his father abandoned him to a life without parents because he believe Naruto would one day grow up to lead the village. That being said, just because Naruto had come to terms with and forgiven his father, that didn't mean he wouldn't take the opportunity to work out some frustrations on the Fourth Hokage.

'Man, this is cathartic as hell.' Naruto thought as he slammed Minato's face into the roof. 'I should let Orochimaru summon Dad more often.'

Minato was up in an instant and delivered a kick directly into Naruto's gut. Naruto grabbed the foot and attempted to throw his father back into the ground, but Minato spun in his grip and attempted to hit Naruto with a Rasengan. Naruto ducked under the blow and flipped backwards, dragging Minato with him.

The Fourth Hokage cancelled his Rasengan and used his arms to catch himself on the ground. Minato used the momentum from Naruto's flip to grab his son with his legs and bodily throw him across the roof. Naruto skidded across the tiles of the roof, only to flip back up to his feet, unharmed.

"I'm impressed, Naruto." Minato complimented. "There aren't many ninja who can keep up with me. It warms my heart to see that you're so strong, even if you do seem eager to push me back into my grave."

Naruto sighed. "That's not my wish, Dad. The fact of the matter is; you're dead. Your time has passed, it's time for me and my generation to stand up and take the reins. You already gave your life to defend the Leaf, let us defend the village in your place."

Minato smiled. "If there is one good thing to come out of this despicable jutsu, it's that I'm able to see what a great man my son has become. I'm proud of you, Naruto." Minato's expression darkened. "However, I'm afraid Orochimaru's compulsion seal requires me to fight with full force. So, I'm afraid I can no longer hold back." With a flourish of his hands, Minato drew a very distinctive three-pronged kunai. He hurled the kunai into the air, quickly casting the Shadow Kunai jutsu causing twenty of the Kunai to impact with the ground. "This is the end, Naruto."

To Minato's utter shock, Naruto grinned. "I couldn't agree more, Dad. Flying Thunder God!" Minato was suddenly struck from nearly every angle at once, forcing him back and forth like a demented pinball. Yellow flashes nearly gave Minato a seizure along with the savage beat down he was receiving. The assault mercifully came to a halt, only for Naruto to grab Minato's shoulder. "Rasengan!"

Minato's own attack was driven into his stomach, sending him flying backwards. He crashed into the roof and attempted to get to his feet, his stomach slowly reforming. "Of course, you're my son. My blood runs through your veins, so you can use my seals to perform the Flying Thunder God. Though, I do wonder how you learned it. I left no records of how to perform my technique, and only my three pupils knew even the basics. They aren't skilled enough to teach anyone the technique, so how do you know it?"

"It's simple, Dad. You taught me." Naruto said. Minato just looked confused. "Well, you did and you didn't. Let's just say it happened in a different life." Naruto frowned as he watched the damage dealt by his attacks vanish. "This is problematic. I can't beat you in a prolonged fight. I really only have a chance if I nail you with surprise attacks, but if you keep reforming like that, then eventually I'll run out of tricks. It might take a few years, but I would eventually run out. So, let's finish this with a big one. Sasuke! Sakura!"

Scene Break

Orochimaru and Sarutobi stood in front of one another. They weren't fighting, they couldn't. Both were far to entranced by the spectacle of three genin fighting on equal ground with three Hokage. Their heads were constantly whipping back and forth between all three fights, not sure which one was more amazing to watch.

"Sarutobi, what the hell are you teaching kids these days?" Orochimaru asked.

"Orochimaru, I'm as amazed as you are right now." Sarutobi replied.

The two were pulled out of their trance by Naruto calling out to his friends. The three genin regrouped with each other, while the resurrected Hokage's did the same. Sarutobi had the presence of mind to quickly join Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura.

"If we keep fighting like this, we're going to run out of chakra." Naruto stated

Sakura snorted. "You haven't run out of chakra in three hundred years."

"True enough, but we need to wipe out both their reanimated bodies and the seals within them. We need to break them apart practically at a molecular level."

Sasuke groaned. "You're not seriously suggesting using the technique I think you are, are you?" Naruto nodded. "Wonderful. We're going to have some serious explaining to do after this, you realize that right?"

Naruto nodded. "I'll worry about that. Besides, we should wrap this up; the Invasion has already failed anyway."

"Just what are you talking about, boy?" Orochimaru demanded.

Naruto held out his hands, gesturing to the village around him. "Look around, Orochimaru. Have you noticed anything strange about the village?"

Orochimaru looked out on the village. It actually took the Sannin a moment to understand what he was seeing, or rather, what he wasn't seeing. The village was calm. There was no smoke in the sky, no destroyed buildings, no screaming civilians, and no giant snakes causing chaos.

"What-what happened to my invasion?" Orochimaru demanded.

"They were intercepted by a couple hundred Shadow clones we set up during the month before the Third Exam." Naruto said casually. "You shouldn't have revealed yourself to us, Orochimaru. We had all the time we needed to set up defenses around the village."

Scene Break

"Well that was easy." Sasuke commented as he finished off the last of the group planning to summon the three headed snake. "Should we stay here, or move on to help another clone squad?"

"Let's stay here." Naruto decided. "There should be a battalion in bound who planned to use the hole made by the snake to storm the village. Once we wipe them out we can move on."

"Fun." Sakura commented.

Scene Break

"So without Shukaku attacking, what do think Orochimaru will use for his secondary monster attack?" Naruto asked, as he Sasuke and Sakura leaned against a couple of trees. Naruto received his answer when a giant purple and black striped snake suddenly appeared in a puff of smoke and began to rip through the trees towards them.

Sasuke whistled. "Manda? Man, he _must_ be desperate."

Sakura got to her feet and casually began walking towards the massive serpent tearing up the forest as it approached. Naruto and Sasuke moved to join her, but she waved them off. "Chill guys, I got this."

Manda saw Sakura approach, but didn't change his course. This proved to be a mistake as Sakura leapt into the air, slamming her fist into Manda's snout. The boss summon was dragged into the ground from the force of Sakura's attack. She forced her feet into the ground, causing grooves to be dug into the earth as she halted Manda. Once the snake had stopped, Sakura latched both her hands onto Manda's head. With a mighty roar, Sakura ripped the gigantic summon in half, tossing both halves of the serpent away.

"Sakura vs. Manda. Sakura wins!" Sasuke cheered.

Scene Break

"Who-who are you?" A sound ninja managed to gasp around a mouthful of his own blood. His entire squad had been wiped out before they even knew the enemy was near. He was lying with both his legs broken and staring up at his attackers.

"We don't make monologues." Naruto said simply. "You're just going to have to die not knowing."

Scene Break

"You-You've ruined my Invasion!" Orochimaru seethed, unable to believe that he had been outmaneuvered by mere children. He was also worried by the fact that a crowd was forming around the barrier. Without an invasion to properly distract the Leaf's ninja, they were all gathering around the barrier in hopes of supporting their Hokage.

"And now we're going to ruin you're Impure resurrection technique." Naruto grinned. At once, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura each summoned a Rasengan with a single hand. "Dad, the Rasengan is an incomplete technique, right?"

Minato nodded. "I wanted to incorporate elemental chakra into the technique, but died before I was able."

Naruto grinned. "Well you picked a good day to get brought back to life, because we completed the Rasengan."

The three time-travelers focused on their respective Rasengan as they introduced their individual elemental affinities. Naruto's turned green, Sakura's turned red, and Sasuke's turned purple. Everyone watched, amazed, as the balls of swirling chakra began to grow. Blades of Chakra grew on each of their jutsu. Naruto's grew four curved blades. Sakura's grew five straight and pointed blades. Sasuke's grew curved blades like Naruto's and while there were only two; they were far larger than Naruto's.

"Wind Style: Spiraling Shuriken!"

"Fire Style: Spiraling Star!"

"Thunder Style: Spiraling Slicer!"

Minato was the first to find his voice. "You perfected it." He whispered.

"Yep." Naruto proclaimed. "And now you're going to get a first-hand experience of it."

By the time Minato realized he was standing over one of his Tri-pronged kunai, Naruto had already used the Flying Thunder God to drive his jutsu into Minato. "Scatter to Four Winds!" Minato couldn't feel pain, but he screamed none the less as his body literally disintegrated. Even the Kunai with the compulsion seal was utterly vaporized. With a final scream and a gust of air, Minato's body was destroyed beyond repair.

"Rest, Father." Naruto whispered. "You've earned it."

Sakura and Sasuke were opportunistic fighters, and didn't hesitate to use the shock of Naruto's actions to attack the First and Second Hokage. The undead ninja never even saw it coming.

"Turn to ash!"

"Fall to the storm!"

Like Minato before them, Hashirama and Tobirama were utterly wiped out by the Elemental Rasengan. No trace remained of the former Hokages, not even the Compulsion seals remained. The three time-travelers stood next to each other, their right arms hung uselessly at their sides. Even with decades upon decades of practice, it was impossible to use an Elemental Rasengan without serious self-damage. They would spend at least a few hours recuperating before they could properly use their arms again.

Orochimaru was ready to scream. His invasion was utterly decimated, his plans for revenge was in ruins, and not only was Sarutobi still alive, but he hadn't even had to fight his former teachers. This entire day couldn't have gone any worse!

Orochimaru was forced to reconsider that statement as at that moment, the Violet Flame Battle Encampment was suddenly brought down. Orochimaru turned to see Jiraiya standing there, looking smug as the barrier was destroyed. "An impressive technique Orochimaru, but not enough to stop me." His next words were directed at Team 7. "You three have done well. Let us handle the rest."

ANBU began swarming the roof, quickly engaging and subduing the Sound Four. They were good, but they were massively outnumbered. Orochimaru barely had time to turn and run before Jiraiya attacked, with Sarutobi hard on his heels. The two of them wouldn't allow the Snake to escape the village.

Medics arrived on the scene to examine Team 7. "We'll need to get you three to a hospital to undo this damage." One of them declared. The three nodded in agreement and were quickly placed on stretchers to be moved to the hospital.

As the three time-travelers were carried past the crowd that had formed outside the barrier, they were surprised by the entire crowd erupting into cheers. The various ninja who had watched the battle tried to get a good view of Team 7, wanting to get a good look at the 'incredible heroes who defeated three Hokages.'

"Hey, look at that." Naruto said idly as they escaped the crowd. "Looks like we're heroes of the village."

"Already?" Sasuke asked. "We only just finished the Chunin Exams."

Sakura laughed. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's a new record."

**End**

A/N: I apologize for how long this took. I just started college and it's been a bit of an adjustment, plus this chapter is pretty long. I don't know if these chapters are going to continually get longer or start to shorten. Like I said before, I'm just flying by the seat of my pants here. I think of a scenario and just let it play out. Sometimes it gets away from me.

Just in case anyone is curious, I decided the match ups for the preliminaries by pulling the names out of a hat. They all really were randomly chosen. Also, because someone asked about, I just wanted to say that all the stuff about Kabuto's mother Nonou is canon, I didn't make her up.

As I said in the beginning, this story allows me to put Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura in any position or situation I want. I have a lot of different ideas, but I'm not sure which ones I should make into a full blown chapter, which is why I make little references to other loops throughout the chapters. If a scenario I pose interests you (Like when Team 7 accidently killed Kakashi, or the Battle for Lunatic Mountain) then let me know. If people want to see what I would do with Team 7 in a situation I've mentioned, or a scenario someone sends me, then I would love to try and make a full chapter for it.

Thanks for reading.


	5. Lights, Camera, Action!

A/N: I'm really sorry for how long it's taken me to update. I intended this to be a quick little chapter while I dealt with writer's block for the Killing Kakashi and Lunatic Mountain Chapters, but it ended up getting away from me. Sorry.

This isn't the best chapter I've ever written, but I needed something to focus on while I bounced ideas around for the next few chapters. It worked, I have plenty of new ideas now.

For future reference, unless I state otherwise, assume Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura are in their full adult forms.

Start

Sakura pulled the sliding glass door open and stepped out onto the balcony. She smiled as the cool, early morning winds brushed past her, causing her hair to tickle her chin. Sakura gazed out at the sun that was slowly beginning to peak over the horizon, bringing light into the village. She took a deep breath and relished the feeling of energy in the air as the village began to awaken to face the new day.

"Hey." A voice said softly.

Sakura turned to see Sasuke perched on the railing of her balcony. She gave him a warm smile, while checking to make sure her robe was completely sealed. "Hi. What are you doing here?"

Sasuke gracefully eased himself of the railing. "I came to see you."

Sakura giggled, while stepping a bit closer to him. "You just saw me last night, silly."

From behind his back, Sasuke revealed a stunning crimson rose. He held it out Sakura "I couldn't help it. I missed you."

Sakura took the rose with a smile and held it to her nose, slowly inhaling the sweet scent of the flower petals. She favored Sasuke with another smile. "That's sweet. I missed you, too." She stepped closer to Sasuke and leaned against him. Sasuke wrapped his arm around her shoulder as the two turned their gazes towards the rising sun. The two fell into a comfortable silence as they simply enjoyed the peace of the moment.

Soon, Sasuke spoke again. "Beautiful." He whispered.

Sakura nodded. "It certainly is."

"I'm not talking about the sunrise."

Sakura glanced up at Sasuke to see that he was gazing at her. "What's wrong?" She asked. Sakura could see that Sasuke seemed to be debating with himself about something, but she couldn't tell what.

Sasuke removed his arm from Sakura's shoulder, causing her to frown at the loss of warmth, and stepped away. He sighed, seemingly coming to a decision before turning back to Sakura. "We've been together for a long time and we've known each other for an even longer time than that."

Sakura nodded. "Indeed, we've known each other for a very long time."

Sasuke stared deeply into Sakura's gorgeous emerald orbs. "I love you."

Sakura smiled, it was hardly the first time he had told her that. "I love you too."

Sasuke shook his head and continued. "It's more than that. I can't stop thinking about you. Every time I'm away from you, I just want to be with you again. When I think about the future, no matter where I see myself or what I see myself doing, I'm still with you. I love you, and I don't ever want to live without you."

Sasuke pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket and dropped down to one knee. Sakura gasped as she realized what Sasuke was doing. "I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Sasuke pulled open the box, revealing a diamond wedding ring. "Will you marry me?"

A loud voice suddenly rang out. "CUT! That's a wrap! Beautiful work people."

Sasuke got to his feet and turned to look out at the film crew who were all applauding his and Sakura's performance. The two grinned at each other before bowing theatrically. "Thank you. Thank you."

Sasuke and Sakura jumped off the balcony and made their way off the set piece of the balcony. It always felt like walking into another world as they stepped off the city set into the warehouse. A couple of people offered them congratulations for a great performance as they passed. Sasuke and Sakura smiled and took the compliments in stride.

The two passed by the cameras, careful to avoid touching them, less they end up damaging the film somehow. Once they were behind the cameras, Sasuke and Sakura made their way towards the Director, who was currently looking over the script.

Naruto lifted his head as the two approached him. He grinned. "Great job you two; I really felt the emotion in that scene."

"Thanks, Naruto." Sakura grinned.

Naruto glanced down at his watch. He raised his voice so everyone would be able to hear him. "Okay people, that was the last shot we're going to need for this scene. Let's take a half hour for lunch and we'll meet back here at one to start on the scene where our two leads meet."

Everyone began breaking off to go get lunch. Naruto got up from his seat and placed the script down in his place. He turned to look at Sasuke and Sakura. "So, hungry?" he asked.

"Starved." Sasuke replied.

The three headed towards the warehouse exit, passing by various set pieces, lighting fixtures, and cameras as they went. They exited out the large, open door into daylight. Naruto gave a sigh of contentment as he felt real sunlight on his face as opposed to artificial lights. They could really help paint a scene, but Naruto would take natural lighting any day.

Team 7 headed for Sakura's trailer, both because she wanted to change out of her bathrobe and because she had managed to score a refrigerator in hers, so she had all their food packed away. When Sasuke had demanded to know how she got a fridge, but he didn't, she just gave him a wink before walking off.

The three quickly arrived at Sakura's trailer and ducked inside. It wasn't terribly large, but it could comfortably hold the three of them for lunch. Sakura immediately threw off her bathrobe and began digging threw her closet for some practical clothes. She was unconcerned that Naruto and Sasuke were both in the room with her; modesty wears off after the first couple centuries or so.

Once properly attired, Sakura moved to sit down on the small couch under the window of her trailer, her food already set out by Naruto on the small coffee table in front of it. The three put off conversation and instead focused on eating. Sasuke hadn't been kidding when he said they were starving. They had been shooting since before dawn and hadn't gotten the chance to eat yet.

With their meals finished, Naruto decided to get the ball rolling. "You guys are really in the zone today. That last scene was beautiful."

Sasuke set down his plate. "Thanks. How much longer do you think shooting will take?"

Naruto leaned back in his chair as he contemplated the question. "We're making great progress so far. At the rate we're going, we should be able to finish shooting within a month, send the film off to post production, and we should see the film in theaters by the end of the year."

Sakura grinned. "Sweet. I can't wait to see Ino's head explode when she sees Sasuke propose to me on the big screen." Sakura glanced out the window at the various people who were scurrying back and forth for their various jobs. "I've got to admit, this is a lot more fun than I thought it would be. Sometimes the hours can suck, but compared to laying siege on a village or going on a deep cover mission, being an actress is a cake-walk."

Sasuke nodded. "I was afraid that it might get dull after a while, but it's actually surprisingly similar to the time loop." Naruto and Sakura gave him odd looks, so he continued. "Think about it; say a single take relates to a single loop. We go through our lines and the take gets done. Then we go back and do it again, but a little differently this time. We put more emphasis on certain words, we had more anger into a scene, we downplay a performance to make it more subtle, and maybe we even move around in a different way. Shooting a scene is a lot like trying to go through multiple loops to get something right, we can try again and again, doing things a little differently each time, until we get an ideal performance."

Naruto spoke. "See, that's why I prefer directing. Not that you guys as actors don't add a lot, you guys are the heart of a movie, but there are so many things to consider and change as a director. Camera angle, shot durations, lighting, set pieces, props, actor positioning, dialogue and so on. Give me a scene of a man walking through the woods and I can make it seem like a horrible existential walk through his own subconscious, or an idyllic stroll through the trees to visit his grandmother."

"You know what really gets me?" Sakura asked. "How emotional it is. Filming takes such a long time and you have to work with a lot of people. For months you have to interact with all these different people on a day to day basis, it may seem long or harrowing at points, but before you even realize it you've become friends with all the people around you. You become friends because we all have the same goal, creating the movie. Then, before you know it, the shoot begins to come to a close and all of the sudden you realize that you won't be seeing most, if not all of these people for a long time. It's such a strange feeling. You want it to be over, but at the same time you never want it to end."

Sakura gave a small sigh while Naruto and Sasuke nodded. Their current film, _A Love Like This_, was in the final stages of shooting. With less than a month less to go, it wasn't hard to feel the wistful melancholy from the cast and crew around set.

Sasuke shook his head, pushing those thoughts away for later. "What kind of film do you guys want to do next?"

Naruto leaned back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling in contemplation. "I'd like to do something a bit more action orientated. I'm a sucker for a good romance story, but I'd like to try something that would get the blood pumping, like our first big hit."

Sakura grinned as she remembered the first movie they made during the loop. "_The Legend of the Gutsy Ninja_. Jiraiya was so proud when you told him you were making a film adaptation of his first book. He was moved to tears during the premier."

Naruto gave a groan. "Yeah, now if only he would stop trying to get me to make movies for the rest of his books."

Sasuke smirked. "I don't see why you're against it; a Make Out Paradise movie would be a huge hit."

Naruto glared at him. "You just know that you would get cast in the lead role as the irresistible sex maniac." Sasuke and Sakura were already award winning actors with over ten movies under their belts, all of which were directed by Naruto. The three had been very adamant in their contracts that Sasuke and Sakura would immediately be cast in any movie Naruto directed. They were willing to be movies directed by others, but Naruto always had dibs.

Sasuke laughed. "Yeah, like I need an adult movie to get elected as one of the sexiest men alive." Sasuke held up a magazine from Sakura's coffee table. The cover held a glamor shot of a shirtless Sasuke standing up to his waist in the ocean.

Naruto gave an annoyed groan. "Stupid sexy Uchiha. Seriously though, I want to focus on actual movies with stories and characters. When I'm desperate and down on my luck, then I'll sell out and make a snuff film. No, for my next film, I'm thinking of something along the lines of a warrior making a pilgrimage to face a great beast to save her village." turned Naruto to Sakura. "Sakura, what would you say about getting to fight a giant dragon?"

Sakura smirked. "I'd say that's shit I did last Tuesday."

Naruto laughed. "True enough, but I meant on the big screen."

Sasuke spoke. "What about me? Why does Sakura get to fight the giant dragon?"

"I was thinking you could be the one to play the giant dragon." Naruto mused.

"Oh, I'm in!" Sasuke grinned.

"Good, so here's a rough idea for a script. I think we'll have Sakura-" Naruto was cut off by someone knocking on the door.

"Who is it?" Sakura called.

"I have a letter for the Director, a Mister Uzumaki? I was told I could find him here." It was common knowledge among the crew that Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were good friends and often ate lunch together in Sakura's trailer.

Naruto got to his feet and opened the door. He took the letter with a smile and thanked the delivery man. Once the door was shut, Naruto sliced open the envelope with a blade of wind and pulled out the letter.

"What does it say, Naruto?" Sakura asked after giving him a minute to read it.

"It's from the studio executives." Naruto said in awe. "They-They want me to direct the next Princess Gale movie."

"What! Let me see that!" Sasuke snatched the letter out of Naruto's hand, his eyes scanning over the letter. "Holy crap, he's right. Sakura, they want us to appear in the movie as well. They say it's a fairly minor couple of roles, but if we do well enough, they might write us into the next film as main characters."

Sakura was impressed. "Man, the Princess Gale movies are the highest grossing films in the nation, even a bit part would be a huge step up for us. Geez, we might make it to big time in nothing flat."

Naruto was practically bouncing with excitement. He had been a fan of the Princess Gale movies since before the time loops. The thought of getting to direct one had him practically drooling. "Oh, this is so exciting! I can't believe I'm going to get to direct a Princess Gale movie." Naruto glanced down at his watch, his expression quickly sobering. "Unfortunately, that's going to have to wait. We need to get you two in make-up and get back to shooting."

Scene Break

The sun was shining bright above the canyon as cameras and microphones were put into place by various film crew members. The imposing stone cliffs stood tall and proud above the filming area as everything was prepared for a long day of shooting

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were sitting the shade while they were going over their new script. It was the first day of shooting for the Princess Gale movie: Frozen Wasteland. The three time travelers were excited to start shooting, along with meeting the rest of the cast. They were situated in the shadow of a large plateau near where most of the shooting would take place

The script was fairly simplistic. After defeating Ma-oh and his army of armored soldiers with the Rainbow Chakra in the last movie, Princess Gale and her loyal companions, Brit, Shishimaru, and Sukeakuro; set out to discover new lands. They come across two warriors from the Land of Crystal, played by Sakura and Sasuke, named Momoiro and Ao respectively. The two will explain that an evil tyrant has killed their leaders and taken over the land, with the two of them barely able to escape. The two warriors beg the Princess to help them free their land and overthrow the ruthless tyrant, she agrees and they set out towards the Land of Crystal.

All three time-travelers liked the script, especially because of how much it featured Sasuke and Sakura, who had expected to be background characters at best. Instead, they were integral to the story, because Ao and Momoiro were the only ones who would know how to traverse the dangerous landscape of the Land of Crystal. This movie would more than likely catapult them into a higher fame bracket, making them much more desirable for other directors to get a hold of.

"I see you're looking over the script." A kind voice said. The three turned to see Princess Gale's loyal companions, or at least, the actors who played them. The three ninja quickly got to their feet an introduced themselves.

"Hello, it's nice to finally meet you. I'm Naruto Uzumaki and this Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha." Naruto grinned.

"Charmed." Sasuke said.

"We're really looking forward to working with you three." Sakura enthused.

The man with the long hair spoke again. "Likewise. I was very impressed with your performances in _A Love Like This_. It was a moving story. I'm Michy and this is Kin and Hidero." The two nodded as their names were said. "We're glad they managed to get a new director so quickly after the last one quit, especially the up and coming talent of director Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto gave an embarrassed smile before Michy's words registered. "Wait a minute, quit? I was wondering what happened to the old director, but I assumed he couldn't renew his contract or something of the like. Why would anyone want to quit working on a Princess Gale movie?"

Michy glanced around to make sure no one could overhear before dropping his voice to a whisper. "I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but Yukie Fujikaze can be rather… difficult to work with."

Besides Michy, Hidero snorted. "What he means to say is that Yukie is a complete diva and the old director got fed up with her attitude and quit." Before Michy could reprimand his colleague, Sakura spoke.

"Surely she can't be _that_ bad, otherwise why is she still the star of such a popular franchise?" She asked.

"It's simple, really." A new voice said. Everyone turned to see a man with graying hair and a small pair of glasses resting on his nose. "Miss Yukie is a born actress and one of the greatest to ever live. No one would dare to tell her to change." The man affixed a glare towards Hidero. "The movies exist because of Miss Yukie and I would hope you remember that in the future." With that, he turned sharply and walked away.

Kin groaned. "Smooth one, Hidero. Now you pissed off Sandayu. You know how protective he is of Yukie." While he and Hidero argued, Michy explained.

"That is Sandayu Asama. He's Yukie's manager and personal assistant. He's been taking care of her for a long time and cares a great deal about her. Rumor has it that he managed to get a previous director fired for insulting Yukie. I'd be careful with him; he is fiercely loyal to Yukie."

Michy glanced to the side. "Speaking of which, here comes our star now."

Everyone turned to see Yukie Fujikaze walking into the canyon, a blank expression on her face. She passed by other actors and film crew without sparing a glance at them, seemingly uninterested in anything going on around her. The three time-travelers said their goodbyes to Michy, Kin, and Hidero; and made their way towards the aloof actress.

"Miss Fujikaze, it's an honor to meet you and we're so excited to get to work with you" Sakura said as the actress approached. Yukie walked straight past all three of them, not even giving them a second glance. Sakura stared at the actresses back for a few moments before faking a shiver. "Ooh, did anyone else feel a chill just now?"

Sasuke nodded. "That shoulder was definitely ice cold." He paused for a moment. "Does she seem really familiar to you guys?"

Sakura snorted. "She's only the most famous movie star in the entire nation."

Sasuke shook his head. "Not that. I mean, I feel like we've met her before."

Naruto waved his hand dismissively. "We've been doing this for _how_ long now? We probably met her in some random loop down the line. What does it matter?"

"I'm not sure." Sasuke said. "I just feel like we're forgetting something about her. Something important."

The three were silent for a moment. Sakura finally spoke. "You know, the more I think about it, the more I agree with you. Still, with how old we are, we're likely to forget something or another every once in a while. Do you guys think she'll become a problem?"

Naruto was silent for a moment. "I'm not sure. Hopefully she's more alert than she seems, especially with how I direct. Hopefully, what we have planned for this first scene will wake her up. Just in case, make sure you two keep an eye on her."

Sasuke and Sakura nodded, before heading off to make-up.

Scene Break

Naruto sat in his director's chair, situated right next to the camera. He had the script in his lap and was holding a large cone to be heard by everyone. In actuality, Naruto just amplified his sound chords using chakra to project his voice, but the cone gave him some deniability. Sandayu stood close by, silently observing everything.

They were currently filming the scene where Princess Gale and her companions came across a wounded Ao and Momoiro. The two would attempt to explain their situation, but then the canyon wall would explode due to explosives placed by a few minions still loyal to Ma-oh, who were hoping to kill the princess in a trap. Ao and Momoiro would react by grabbing the four main characters and moving them out of the way, saving them. This would help gain the Princess's trust and make her agree to help them.

Things had been going well so far. Hidero had been right, while Yukie was rather difficult to work with, being apathetic at best and downright insulting at worst, that changed when she was on camera. Once the cameras started rolling, Yukie Fujikaze was all business. She professionally and expertly acted out a scene, often in a single take. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were all silently impressed by the young woman's acting ability.

As a result of Yukie's superb acting, they had already gotten almost all the footage needed for the scene. The only thing that remained was the actual cliff collapsing. Naruto raised his cone to his mouth and spoke with his amplified voice. "Alright, I want all the crew except for the actors back behind the safety line. I want all five of the cameras rolling at once, do you hear me? We've only got one shot at this people. Let's make it work!"

As the crew scrambled around to carry out Naruto's orders, Sandayu spoke. "I must say, I'm curious about how you intend to perform the special effect of the cliff exploding and collapsing."

Naruto turned towards the man and arched an eyebrow. "Special effect?" He asked.

Sandayu nodded. "Yes. Previous directors have always had some measure of difficulty creating the elaborate special effects for the Princess Gale movies. I was just curious how you intend to simulate such a situation as a cliff collapsing."

Naruto shrugged. "Simple, by not simulating it."

Sandayu stared at Naruto in confusion. "I don't understand. Are you saying you're actually going to-"

Sandayu was cut off by Naruto raising his cone and shouting. "Is everyone in place? Good! Are the cameras rolling? Good! Alright, action!"

High up on the cliffs, a Shadow Clone of Naruto formed a hand seal. The explosive tags that he had spent the better part of the morning setting up all exploded at once, causing the entire structure of the cliff to collapse. Even the very ground beneath the clone began to fall and crumble. Right before the clone was destroyed by the impact, his last words were, "Deidara was right. Real art is a bang."

Down in the canyon valley, Yukie, Kin, Hidero, and Michy all turned in horror at the approaching avalanche of very real, very dangerous stone. "What the hell is going on?" Hidero screamed.

"It's a trap!" Sasuke yelled. He charged forward and grabbed Kin and Hidero by their arms and hauled them out of the way of danger. Sakura, by contrast, actually picked up Yukie and Michy, throwing both of them over her shoulder before making her way to safety as well. With the actors out of the avalanches path, the large rocks and boulders simply rolled into the valley and eventually came to a stop.

"Cut!" Naruto yelled. "Excellent work! I think that's going to come out looking really great."

"What the hell was that?" Yukie demanded. She struggled in Sakura's grip, so the pink haired woman let her down. Yukie immediately marched over towards Naruto. "Just what do you think you were doing?"

Naruto was unimpressed. "I was getting the footage for the movie. The scene required a wall to collapse, so I made a wall collapse. Trust me, the footage is going to look great."

Sandayu was desperately wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Why would you actually do such a crazy thing when it's possible to simply create the same effect with special effects?"

Naruto shrugged. "Two reasons, budget and realism. As opposed to carefully creating an illusion of danger, it's a lot cheaper just to put the actors in danger then film that. Besides, no matter how impressive the effects, it can't replace the looks of genuine terror in a person's face when faced with actual danger. Realism is always better."

Sasuke spoke up. "I suggest you guys get used to this, because this is a key part of Naruto's filming style. Have you ever seen our film, _Kill The Lights?_" Everyone nodded. "You know the scene towards the end, where my character had to navigate through a burning building, then dive out a window into the sea below, only to have to desperately swim away as the entire building collapsed into the ocean? That wasn't an effect either. Naruto really torched the building I was in. What's worse is the fact that the dive out of a window and into the ocean wasn't in the script. The roof collapsed on my exit route and I had to improvise a way out. Naruto liked the shot of me diving out the window so much he included it in the movie."

Naruto nodded. "Exactly, and look how incredible that scene turned out! We got an award for that scene!"

No one was sure what to say to that. Hidero suddenly noticed a stream of read along Kin's face. "Kin, you're bleeding!"

As everyone gathered around Kin to examine the wound, Naruto spoke. "Good. I like seeing my actors bleed. Makes me feel like I'm getting my money's worth. Get that looked at and we'll meet back here for the rest of the shooting." With that, Naruto turned and walked off.

The cast stared at his retreating form for a few minutes before Hidero spoke. "We're going to die, aren't we?"

Sakura laughed and patted him on the back. "Just keep your wits about you and remember; if it seems real, that's probably because it is."

Scene Break

Naruto stood upon a podium, looking out at the various members of the cast and crew who were gathered before him. "Hello everyone. I'm sure you're wondering why I called you all here. We are close to finishing filming the parts of the movie that take place outside the Land of Crystal." There was a general murmur of good cheer at that. "However, this means that we will soon have to move locations for the actual filming of the Land of Crystal."

No one bothered to ask why they couldn't just create sets and effects for the Land of Crystal as opposed to movie the entire production. Naruto's approach to film making was now well known and understood; Realism is always better.

Naruto gestured to Yukie's assistant, who was standing close by. "Sandayu here has recommended that we film the rest of our movie in the Land of Snow. Upon careful consideration, I've decided to take his advice and have already gotten permission from the corporate executives. We'll leave in three days. That's all. Thank you for your time."

Naruto hopped off the podium as the crowd began to disperse. He met up with Sasuke and Sakura, who were talking with Hidero, Michy, Kin, and Sandayu. Sandayu was in the middle of describing the Land of Snow. "It's winter nearly year round. There isn't a time of year when there isn't snow of on the ground. When I read the descriptions of the Land of Crystal in the script, Snow just immediately popped into my mind. Oh! Mr. Uzumaki! Thank you for accepting my advice on filming in Snow Country."

Naruto gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "Think nothing of it, Sandayu. I know a good idea when I hear one." Before Sandayu could respond, a shout drew everyone's attention to the opposite side of the room.

"Hey! You can't just take that! Where are you going?" Everyone turned just in time to see a stage hand staring at Yukie, still dressed as Princess Gale, riding a white horse out of the building.

"Where the hell is she going?" Sasuke asked.

Sandayu went pale as a sheet. "Oh no, this is terrible! Gather up the crew, we have to go after her!"

Sakura patted Sandayu on the back. "Relax. Naruto, Sasuke, and I will go after her. You just make sure the packing up of the sets goes smoothly, alright?" Sandayu nodded, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his forehead.

Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto quickly left the building they had previously been filming in. Once they were a decent distance away from the set, the three leapt up on top of a building and began tracking Yukie through the city.

It was hardly a challenge, as a horse wasn't the best stealth transportation. Even disregarding the obvious tracks and very loud clopping of the horse's hooves, it was easy enough to track Yukie by the various confused shouts of the people who saw her riding by. The three time travelers quickly caught up with the wayward actress, keeping pace with her along the roof tops.

"Should we stop her?" Sasuke asked.

"No, let's wait until she's stopped. Once she thinks she's gotten away, we'll be able to pen her in." Sakura advised. Her friends nodded their agreement and continued their pursuit.

Yukie came to a stop in a large park within the city. She dismounted her horse at a lake and allowed the animal to quench its thirst. Meanwhile, she simply sat on the edge of the lake, staring at her own reflection.

"Dare I ask what you were hoping to accomplish with that little stunt?" Naruto asked. Yukie whipped her head up, shocked to see Naruto standing on the surface of the water. Naruto continued. "You gave everyone a scare when you suddenly took off like that. Care to explain why?"

Yukie turned around, hoping to get back on her horse, only to find Sasuke standing in her way. Behind him, Sakura was stroking the horse's mane, softly whispering in the animal's ear. "It would be best if you returned to set, Ms. Fujikaze."

Yukie tilted her head back, allowing her to stare down her nose at Sasuke, before turning and walking back towards the exit of the park. Shrugging to one another, the three time-travelers followed after her, Sakura gently leading the horse by its reins.

Before Yukie could leave the park, she accidently ran into a group of young kids, all of whom immediately recognized her.

"It's Princess Gale!" A small girl squealed in delight. The other kids began clamoring around the famous actress, begging for an autograph. Yukie recoiled in horror as the small children began gathering around her. She stared down at the held out paper and pens as if they were poisonous.

"Enough!" She commanded harshly, causing the children to recoil in fear. Yukie sneered down at the children. "What possible use could you have for a piece of paper with my name on it? It's utterly pointless. You're just going to toss it into some drawer and forget about it. Give me a break." The children all looked down; the girl who first noticed Yukie appeared to be close to tears

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sakura demanded as she grabbed Yukie's shoulder and forcibly whipped her around. "Where do you get off talking to kids like that?" Sakura glared at the actress before kneeling down in front of the upset children.

"Hey, just ignore her. There's no need to cry, she's just being a big meanie." The little girl sniffled before looking up at Sakura. Her eyes widened.

"Y-You're Sakura Haruno! I saw you in _A Love Like This!" _The girl seemed to debate with herself for a moment, before hesitantly holding out her paper and pen. "W-Would _you_ be willing to give me your autograph." The girls voice trailed off into an embarrassed whisper.

Sakura smiled warmly and planted a small kiss on the girl's forehead. "I would love to, Sweetie." The young girl's face broke out into a beaming smile as Sakura began passing out her signature. Sasuke, who had been recognized by a few of the boys, was doing the same.

Naruto stood next to Yukie, who was staring at Sasuke and Sakura in confusion. "It's so pointless. They're just going to toss those signatures away and forget about them."

Naruto shrugged. "Maybe you're right." Yukie gave Naruto a confused glance. "Maybe these kids really will forget about the autographs and giving them out serves no real purpose. But you know what? Who cares?"

Naruto directed Yukie's attention towards the little girl from before, who was practically bouncing with excitement as she held Sakura's autograph. "It's such a simple little thing, but it makes them so happy. Maybe they really will forget about it, but for the moment, it makes them happy. That's more than enough of a reason to do something, don't you think?"

Yukie stared at the small crowd of children, her face unreadable. Finally, she gave a derisive snort and began walking away. Naruto stared after her for a moment, before returning his attention to the autograph signing. It wasn't like she could get far on foot, so he decided to wait until everyone had gotten an autograph before pulling Sasuke and Sakura back into the pursuit. In the meantime, he created a Shadow clone to take the horse back to the studio.

Scene Break

Yukie walked through the streets of the city, attempting to find a bar. She had managed to pick up some cheap clothes from a random store and was now dressed in a long coat, a hat, and sunglasses. She was contemplating whether it was safe to remove the sunglasses, in case she got recognized again, but the sun was going down and it was getting difficult to see properly.

"I hope you didn't lose the Princess Gale costume. That thing is expensive."

Yukie whipped around to see Naruto idly leaning on a nearby store wall. The actress turned and bolted down a nearby alley, only to find Naruto waiting for her at the other end. "You don't really think you can outrun me, do you dear?" Naruto asked.

Yukie glanced behind her and cursed when she saw Sasuke and Sakura blocking her only other exit out of the alley. Naruto heaved a sigh. "Look, I don't know what has you in such a snit, but we need to get back to the studio and get ready to leave for Snow County."

"I'm not going." Yukie whispered. Naruto blinked.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"I said I'm not going!" Yukie shouted.

"Listen, I don't know what your hang up is, but you're under contract to finish this movie. If you don't, then you'll be hard pressed to even get a supporting role in any movie. No one will hire an actress who won't work." Naruto said simply.

Yukie violently shook her head. "I don't care! I won't go back there!"

Naruto frowned slightly at her reaction, Sasuke's earlier words playing in his mind. _"I just feel like we're forgetting something about her. Something important."_ Yukie Fujikaze and the Land of Snow, what was the connection and why did he feel like he should know?

Pushing the thoughts into the back of his mind for now, Naruto stepped forward and placed a hand on Yukie's shoulder. "Listen, why don't we go back to the studio and you can explain why you don't want to go to Snow Country."

Yukie's hand gripped at her necklace that was beneath her shirt. After a moment, she looked up at Naruto. "Not happening." Yukie pulled back her hair, revealing a pepper spray launcher disguised as an earring.

Naruto didn't even flinch, a barrier of wind preventing the eye irritant from reaching him. He flicked the earring with his finger, ignoring Yukie's shocked expression. "Cute. I'm glad you have at least _some _kind of self-defense, though that won't do much to a determined attacker."

Yukie twisted herself out of Naruto's grip and stepped backwards. "I don't care what you say; I'm not going back to Snow Country." She declared.

"Alright, that's enough. Peace talks have broken down. Now we do it _my_ way." Yukie turned towards the voice, only to find her gaze locked with a pair of spinning, red eyes. Yukie knew she should look away, but she was suddenly so tired.

As the wayward actress collapsed, Naruto reached out and caught her. He slipped his arm under the joint of her legs and began carrying her out of the alley. Sasuke and Sakura followed him.

"This seems kind of wrong." Sakura commented as she scanned the area to make sure no one saw them knock out a famous actress with an illusion.

Naruto shrugged. "This is show business, Sakura. You can't get to the top without abducting a couple of actresses."

"Remind me to get you a shirt that says that." Sasuke said.

Scene Break

Sakura breathed in deeply, enjoying the brisk morning air of the sea. They were on a ship heading for Snow Country and would probably arrive within a day or two. Naruto was valiantly trying to use the nice weather to get some boating scenes filmed, but it wasn't going well. Most of the scenes required Yukie in some way, shape, or form; and she was still out cold.

"Stupid Sasuke." Naruto muttered as he leaned on the railing next to Sakura. "We can't get any decent filming done without Yukie."

Sakura laughed at Naruto's pouting expression and patted him on the back. "It's not Sasuke's fault. He's just so used to using his illusions on trained ninja that he didn't think how much it would affect a normal civilian."

Naruto heaved a sigh, laying his forehead against the rail. "I know, but we've had such beautiful weather conditions. It's practically a crime to not take advantage of it for filming!"

Before Sakura could respond, a door slammed open and Yukie's voice rang out. "You have got to be _kidding_ me!"

Naruto immediately perked up, his expression bright. "Oh good, she's awake. Now we can finally get some work done." He strode off to get Yukie outfitted for filming. Sakura just rolled her eyes and decided to enjoy the scenery a bite more before getting prepped herself.

Scene Break

Naruto rolled out of his bed. He stifled a yawn as he worked his way over towards his dresser. The ship was making good progress and they should arrive in port by the end of the day. As Naruto got dressed, he wondered what to do about Yukie. She was doing fine on camera, giving a great performance each time, but she was growing increasingly surely and ill-tempered as they closed in on Snow Country.

Naruto was literally shaken out of his thoughts as the entire ship suddenly shuddered. Naruto dropped into a battle stance, unsure of what was happening. He only barely managed to prevent himself from attacking a stage hand who rushed into his room.

"Mr. Uzumaki! We have a serious problem!" Naruto nodded and followed the stage hand out onto the main deck. What awaited him was a massive ice-burg jutting out of the sea. "I have no idea where this thing came from; it was here when I woke up this morning. What do we do, Mr. Uzumaki?"

Naruto was silent as he contemplated what to do. This ice-burg was clearly not a natural phenomenon, but that begged the question of who put it here and why? Various crew members were beginning to gather around and Naruto had to make a decision.

He glanced towards Sakura and Sasuke, both of whom gave reluctant nods. Returning one of his own, Naruto spoke to the crew. "Set up the cameras and lights on the ice-burgs. This is a good, secluded area. We can get some good shots here."

The crew began to disperse as they moved to obey Naruto's orders. As Sasuke and Sakura passed by, Naruto stopped them to whisper in their ears. "Keep your wits about you. I don't like this." The two nodded as they headed off to make-up.

Scene Break

Naruto scowled lightly as the scene was set up. He was almost certain that this was some sort of trap, but he couldn't think why someone would put so much effort for a movie cast. Akatsuki was a possibility, but this certainly wasn't their usual M.O. and as far as Naruto knew, none of them were proficient in Ice techniques.

"Alright, action!" Naruto called.

Sasuke turned and held out his hands towards the ice-burg. "Princess Gale, allow me to formally welcome you to the Land of Crystal. I only wish you could be visiting under better circumstances."

Yukie stepped forward. "I appreciate that, Ao. Don't worry; we will free your land from the grip of this tyrant."

Sakura spoke next. "Please be cautious at all times. There are agents of loyal to the Tyrant across this land." Sakura suddenly drew a kunai, a real one, with a live explosive tag attached to it. "There!" She hurled the explosive projectile towards the tip of the ice-burg.

Everyone recoiled at the explosion. Several people looked around in confusion, uncertain if this was some sort of rewrite in the script. Naruto turned to the camera man. "Keep the cameras rolling, understand me?" The man nodded hesitantly as Naruto leapt into the frame.

The three time-travelers positioned themselves in between the actors and the new threat. A smug voice spoke up as a man picked himself up from the crater of the explosion. "Managed to sniff me out, did you? Just as well, I was tired of waiting anyway."

The smoke dissipated, revealing a man with pale blue hair, dressed in a form fitting grey uniform with odd bits of armor and wiring on his shoulders and arms. A headband for the Land of Snow was situated on his forehead the man held his arms out wide. "Welcome friends, to the Land of Snow."

Off to the right, another, much larger man pulled himself from the snow. He was dressed in a similar outfit to the first man, though his entire right arm was covered in mechanical armor. His spikey black hair was held up by his own Snow Headband.

Another ninja, this one female, appeared on a large ice spike. She was dressed in the same outfit as her two comrades, though she had the least armor out of the three. She smirked down at the frightened faces of the cast and crew. "Welcome home, Princess Koyuki. I do hope you're still carrying the Hex Crystal with you."

The three time-travelers all turned to stare at Yukie. "Koyuki? As in Koyuki Kazahana?" Naruto whispered. Memories began to flood through their minds. Koyuki, Doto, Land of Spring, the Heat Generator, it all came roaring back.

"Oh shit." Sasuke groused.

"Don't swear on camera." Naruto snapped before barking orders. "Everyone! Get back to the ship!" Naruto noticed that Koyuki had fallen to her knees and appeared catatonic. "Michy, carry Koyuki. She can't walk on her own." The actor nodded and grabbed the princess as everyone began to retreat.

The man with blue hair, apparently the leader, spoke to his two companions. "Fubuki, Mizore, I'll leave the princess to you. I'll take care of these three."

"Understood, Nadare." The woman, Fubuki, replied.

Mizore pulled a snowboard off his back and began sledding down towards Koyuki. Sakura spoke. "He's mine!" She quickly took off to intercept the large man. Sasuke, likewise, ran off towards Fubuki. Naruto ran up the ice-burg towards where Nadare stood.

"You think you can take me on alone?" The man mocked. "I wonder if it's courage or ignorance that makes you think that."

Naruto smirked. "A little of both, really. I don't know much about you, but I'm pretty sure I can take you."

Nadare's eyes narrowed. "Really? Well, we'll have to see about that."

Scene Break

Mizore had paid no attention to the small, pink haired woman who was in front of him. He simply intended to run her over with his larger mass. This proved to be a mistake, as soon as he reached the girl her hand shot out and latched onto his throat, stopping his upper body momentum. Mizore's legs continued, however, causing his board to fly out from underneath him and granting Sakura the ability to choke-slam him into the snow.

While Mizore was trying to piece together what had just happened, Sakura took a deep breath and launched a jutsu. Since they were on a giant ice-burg, the only stone available was at the bottom of the ocean and not worth the effort it would take to retrieve it, so Sakura was limited to her Fire techniques. "Fire Style: Flash Flare!"

Sakura jumped backwards while simultaneously releasing a wave of fire over her opponent. She landed with a satisfied nod, convinced that she had roasted her opponent. Sakura was therefore caught off guard when a mechanical hand attached to a rope shot out of the flames and pinned her arms to her sides.

Mizore emerged, completely unscathed. "Nice try, girlie. But a weak attack like that won't penetrate my armor!" He pulled hard on the rope emerging from his armored arm. Sakura, cursing herself for letting the Hubris get to her, was pulled into the air above Mizore and slammed down into the ice behind him.

Mizore realized the Princess was getting away and moved to grab her, only to find his arm couldn't move. He turned to see Sakura with the rope from his grappling hand wrapped around her arm and her feet dug into the ice.

"I forgot you all use chakra armor, so jutsu are useless. Oh well, I prefer the up close and personal touch anyway. Now then," Sakura pulled hard on the chord, causing Mizore to go flying towards her. "Get over here!"

Sakura reared back and slammed her fist into Mizore's jaw, causing his face to impact with the unforgiving ice. He attempted to pick himself back up, wondering how such a little girl could hit so _hard_, when Sakura's voice drew his attention. "Hey asshole, look up."

Mizore did, and his jaw dropped open at the sight of Sakura holding a massive boulder of ice above her head. "Your armor may block chakra, but I wonder just how well it can take two tons of frozen, chakra-less force dropped directly on top of it.

"W-wait!" Mizore struggled out through his busted jaw. Sakura spared him no more thought and slammed the ice boulder down on top of him, crushing him like a bug.

Sakura gave a snort and wiped the frost off of her hands. "Some armor. Next time, invest in something that actually covers more than just your arm." With that, Sakura made her way back towards the ship, ignoring the looks of amazement and slight revulsion she was receiving from the others.

Scene Break

Sasuke charged up the icy hill, keeping his head low as he ducked under a series of ice projectiles. Fubuki grinned as the Uchiha closed in on her position. She flashed through a series of hand signs before placing two fingers on the ground. "Ice Style: Ice Coffin!"

Large, misshapen pillars of ice erupted out of the ground towards Sasuke. The Uchiha leapt over the approaching pillars and launched his own jutsu "Thunder Style: Ravager!" An erratic bolt of electricity tore through the ice pillars and the ground on its way to Fubuki.

The Snow Kunoichi grimaced and activated a device on her wrist. A pair of metallic wings extended from the machine on her back, allowing her to take to the sky. She smirked as she rose above Sasuke. "Ice Style: Sparrow Blizzard!" A barrage of bird shaped ice projectiles honed in on Sasuke.

Sasuke created a Shadow Clone and used it to spring himself out of the way, leaving the clone to be destroyed by the attack. Sasuke cursed as he realized that the birds were turning in midair to attack him from behind.

Getting creative, Sasuke Replaced himself with Fubuki. The Kunoichi was surprised to find herself taking her own attack, but the damage was reflected by her Chakra Armor. This gave Sasuke the chance to create a Shadow clone behind his opponent.

"What the-?" Fubuki was cut off by the Shadow clone grabbing her Flight pack and forcibly ripping it off her back, taking a bunch of wires and a good deal of her outer jacket with it. The clone then delivered a powerful kick that sent the pink-haired woman higher into the air, where the real Sasuke was waiting. Sasuke grabbed Fubuki from behind and wrapped his arms around her, pinning her arms to the side.

"What are you-?"

"It's a long way to the ground, lady." Sasuke smirked. He flipped himself and Fubuki upside down and began rotating as the two of them picked up speed. "Forward Lotus Technique!" At the last possible second, Sasuke released Fubuki and leapt away, allowing himself to avoid damage. The Snow Kunoichi wasn't so lucky. She slammed head first into the unforgiving ice, her neck snapping instantly.

Sasuke got back to his feet and took a deep breath, allowing the adrenaline and extra chakra that came from opening the First Gate to leave his body. His clone from before slowly floated to the ground next to him, having used Fubuki's Flight Pack as a make-shift hang glider. The clone dispelled as soon as it landed, leaving the Flight Pack in the snow. Sasuke picked it up as he walked back to the ship, idly examining it.

"I wonder if Naruto would like this?"

Scene Break

Naruto smirked as he felt Sasuke and Sakura finish off their opponents. He turned towards Nadare, who was covered in cuts and bruises. The Chakra Armor could ward off impressive amounts of damage and Chakra, but they simply weren't made to deal with a walking Chakra Factory like Naruto. He had fairly easily overpowered the protection and was simply toying with his opponent.

"Still feeling smug, buddy? You're on your own now." Naruto laughed.

Nadare clenched his fist. "No. Mizore and Fubuki." He whispered. His gaze turned to Naruto. "Bastard. This isn't over. I'll be back to avenge my comrades." Nadare began making hand seals.

"Oh no, you aren't going anywhere." Naruto charged forward, his hand covered in a blade of wind. The blonde thrust his hand straight through Nadare's chest, only for the man to suddenly break apart into shards of ice. "An Ice Clone? You don't see that every day."

Nadare's voice suddenly rang out over the ice-burg. "Ice Style: White Whale!" A massive Beluga made of ice rose out of the ocean. The creature leapt over the ice-burg and slammed down upon it, splitting it in half.

"Coward." Naruto groused as he felt Nadare escape. He contemplated going after him, but the damaged ice chunks would make for tricky sailing and the crew of the movie were his first priority. Decision made, Naruto turned and headed back to the ship to assist with the evacuation as the ice-burg began to sink.

The bodies of Fubuki Kakuyoko and Mizore Fuyukuma were left behind to sink to the frigid depths.

Scene Break

With the crew safe and sound back on the ship, the journey to Snow Country was resumed. Everyone was, of course, hesitant after what had happened, but they didn't have enough supplies to turn around. They would need to dock in Snow Country's port and restock.

While the crew was milling about, having been told that all filming was on hold for the time being, Naruto was watching over Koyuki. The princess was asleep in her bed, having passed out shortly after returning to the ship.

Naruto stared at Koyuki's sleeping form, before turning his gaze towards the purple necklace that had been placed on her nightstand. Naruto picked up the hexagonal crystal, admiring the way the light shined off the surface.

"The Hex Crystal," Naruto said softly. "The activation key to the Heat Generator, the fortune of the Kazahana Clan." Naruto gripped the crystal in his hand as he let out a sigh. It had been decades since the last time Naruto and his team had helped Koyuki reclaim Snow Country from Doto. So long that they had completely forgotten about the wayward princess.

Naruto wasn't terribly surprised that they had forgotten. In the large scheme of things, among the Invasion, Akatsuki, and all the various tension between the villages that threatened to break out into a war; the dilemma of a wayward princess from a small, out of the way country was an inconsequential side event.

Despite this, Naruto couldn't quite fight off the guilt that was plaguing him. "You poor girl." Naruto whispered. "How long have you been living with depression? How many times have Doto's men found you and executed you? How many times have you been forced to confront Doto on your own, without a single hope or prayer to beat him? I'm so sorry, Koyuki."

The door to the bedroom slowly opened, revealing Sakura. "Naruto, Sandayu says he's ready to talk." Naruto nodded and placed the Hex Crystal back on the nightstand. He spared one last look at the princess before following after Sakura.

Naruto quickly found himself sitting on the opposite side of a table from Sandayu. Sasuke and Sakura were situated on either side of him. Naruto tapped his finger on the table for a moment before signaling Sandayu to begin. Their memories of Snow Country were spotty at best and they decided to let Sandayu fill in any gaps.

Sandayu began. "As I'm sure you three have figured out, Yukie Fujikaze is simply an alias. Her real name is Koyuki Kazahana and she is the rightful ruler of the Land of Snow. I served as a servant in the castle under her father. She was so young, it doesn't surprise me that she has no memory of me. The Daimyo's traitorous brother, Doto, hired ninja to stage a hostile takeover."

Tears began to well in Sandayu's eyes. "Doto had his brother executed and burned the Kazahana castle to the ground. I had thought that the princess had died in the blaze. Imagine my surprise when I learned that she was still alive. I devoted myself to serving her in any way I could, to make up for all the years I was absent."

Naruto allowed the man a moment to pull himself together before he began asking questions. "If you knew that Doto was still in power, then why would you bring her here? Why would you risk not only her life bringing Koyuki to the Land of Snow?"

Sandayu adjusted his glasses slightly as he continued. "There is a resistance against Doto, those who remain loyal to the Princess. I apologize for deceiving you, but I had to get Koyuki to Snow Country. Surely you understand?"

Naruto snorted. "I most certainly do not." Naruto raised his hand to cut off Sandayu's protest. "I'm the Director of this film, meaning I'm the one in charge. In other words, I'm the one who had to look out for the safety of everyone involved in this production. This little stunt of yours has put the lives of everyone in danger. You brought us to the middle of a battle zone and all you can think about is Koyuki?"

"Koyuki must be put back on the throne. Sacrifices are needed to overthrow a tyrant like Doto." Sandayu said.

Sasuke slammed his fist onto the table. "It's only a sacrifice if the people make the decision to give up their lives for a greater cause. When you force them into a situation they have no understanding of or preparation for, it's not a sacrifice, it's murder. You have no right to make the decision that everyone should lay down their lives for a country they've never been in. Every single person working here has family back home who are expecting them back. What do you intend to tell them if you get they're loved ones killed?"

Sandayu stared down at the ground, his body shaking like a leaf. "I never wanted anyone to get hurt." He whispered. "I only wanted to return Koyuki to her home."

"Then what?" Sakura asked. "Let's say you get Koyuki to this little rebellion of yours, what's your game plan after that"

"Don't you see?" Sandayu asked. "Koyuki's presence will give everyone inspiration to fight against Doto and his men."

Sakura just shook her head. "Unless inspiration is some kind of weapon I don't know about, then that won't help anyone. I hate to break this to you, but I think you've been so focused on getting Koyuki back into Snow Country that you didn't realize she would be unable to help. Koyuki is an actress, not a rebel leader. She has no military training, no experience leading men into battle, and has probably never even seen combat. Even if you do overthrow Doto, Koyuki isn't going to know how to run a country. You can't just plop her on the throne and expect everything to get better. Doto might be a tyrant, but at least he knows what he's doing. In the long run, it will hurt your country more to have an inexperienced leader, as she could accidently run your economy into the ground."

Sandayu shook his head, trying to deny what they were saying. "No, Koyuki must return to Snow Country. She will lead us to victory. She has to." Sandayu's eyes widened as something else occurred to him. "What about you? You three easily outmatched three of Doto's best ninja. You could help liberate Snow Country."

Once again, Naruto shook his head. "As I said, my first and foremost priority is to protect the lives of the cast and crew who are under my responsibility. We can't simply drop everything to fight a war for you. I'm sorry, Sandayu. Once we've resupplied, this ship is turning around and heading home."

"I am sorry to hear that, Naruto. However, I did expect it. That's why I prepared this." Sandayu pulled out an envelope and slid it across the table towards Naruto. The blonde snatched up the envelope and quickly pulled out the letter within.

Naruto's brow furrowed as he read the letter. He suddenly slammed the letter onto the table. "You bastard!" Naruto growled.

Sasuke and Sakura leaned forward to read the letter. They were shocked to find themselves staring at a full investigative report about the various acts of endangerment Naruto performed while directing along with a report showing that Naruto's identity was fake. The three hadn't bothered creating overly legitimate identities since they were only working in movies as opposed to moving to a ninja village. They hadn't expected to be under much, if any scrutiny.

"I take Koyuki's safety very seriously and I took the liberty of drawing this up in case one of your stunts ever hurt her. Unless you help Koyuki reclaim the throne, this will be shipped to the authorities and you'll be arrested. Do we have an understanding, Mr. Uzumaki? If that is your real name?"

Naruto was silent for a moment as he contemplated the situation. Sandayu blinked in shock when the blonde director vanished from sight. The former servant of Snow suddenly found himself slammed into the wall with Naruto hand clenching his throat.

"You're certainly bold, Sandayu. It takes a lot of guts, or a lot of stupidity to blackmail a trained ninja." Sweat began to break out on Sandayu's face. "I'll play along for now and continue with the shoot as if nothing is wrong. Doto is sure to come after us and we'll deal with that as it comes. As for you," The grip and Sandayu's neck tightened. "You had better pray that no one on the crew gets hurt, because I will hold you personally responsible for each and every one of their deaths. Do I make myself clear?"

Sandayu desperately nodded his head, causing Naruto to drop him to the ground. Naruto turned and walked out of the room with Sakura and Sasuke in tow. The three were unsurprised to see Koyuki eavesdropping from outside.

"How are you feeling, Koyuki? May I call you Koyuki?" Naruto asked.

The woman just shrugged. "Call me whatever you want. I'm well enough, though I wish I wasn't here."

Naruto snorted. "You and me both. Unfortunately, Sandayu has forced our hand and we can't leave yet."

A cruel smirk appeared on Koyuki's face. "Not so nice being forced into a situation you were against, is it?"

Naruto winced. "About that, I wanted to say I'm sorry. We shouldn't have forced you like we did. It was out of line."

The princess gave a dismissive wave. "It doesn't matter at this point. Are you seriously going to continue? You can't hope to stop Doto, he's too powerful."

Sakura patted Koyuki on the shoulder. "Doto is simply a human being. He may have a decent force of expendable labor and may even know some jutsu, but he is still human and a knife in the ribs or poison in his drink will kill him just as easily as anyone else. You just focus on the movie, princess. We'll worry about Doto."

The three left the princess alone to inform the crew that they weren't leaving Snow Country.

Scene Break

The crew had loaded all the necessary equipment into a series of all-terrain vehicles that were capable of traversing the frozen landscape. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were all impressed by the technology available and all promised to return to Snow Country in a later loop. They had forgotten how technologically advanced Snow Country was.

Naruto, still steamed at Sandayu, refused to allow the man into the lead vehicle and forced him into a smaller one. Koyuki was given her own vehicle to allow her privacy, leaving the three time travelers alone in the lead vehicle.

They were making progress traversing over the frozen roads, scouting out areas that were good for shooting. Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto were pouring over a series of photographs, detailing various areas in Snow country and debating whether or not to film there.

The radio on the wall suddenly chimed, indicating a call from another vehicle. Naruto snatched up the receiver and put up to his ear. "This is Naruto."

"Mr. Uzumaki!" A panicked voice shouted over the radio. "I just went to check on Yukie and her room was empty! She's gone!"

"Damn!" Naruto swore. "Is that girl suicidal? It's bad enough there are trained ninja out to kill her, but she has no idea how to survive in this kind of environment."

Naruto slammed the receiver back into place and grabbed his jacket. A Shadow Clone appeared next to Naruto. "I'm going after Koyuki. Keep everyone moving and I'll find my way back by using my clone." Sakura and Sasuke nodded and Naruto leapt out the door of the still moving vehicle to search for the wayward Princess.

Scene Break

Koyuki ran through the snow, trying to put as much distance between herself and the rest of the film crew as possible. All she had to do was get to the port and sneak on board one of the returning ships, and then she could get out of this place.

Koyuki was so focused on her intentions, she failed to notice that the ground in front of her had a sudden dip down a steep hill. By the time she realized it, the princess had already tripped and was about to fall. Koyuki shut her eyes and braced herself for the frigid impact, but instead felt a strong hand latch onto her shoulder and pull her back to her feet.

Koyuki opened her eyes to see Naruto standing in front of her, a grimace on his face. "When are you going to realize that you can't get away from me, princess?" Naruto growled.

The princess slapped Naruto's hand away and looked away. "How did you find me?"

"Aside from the obvious tracks you left in the snow?" Naruto asked rhetorically. He reached forward and tapped the Hex Crystal around Koyuki's neck. "Chakra is an amazing thing. If you know how, it can be used to accomplish just about anything. While you were out cold, I took the liberty of infusing a bit of my chakra into that pretty little crystal. It acts like a beacon, allowing me to track you down wherever you go."

Koyuki growled and clenched the crystal in her hand. She glared at Naruto before tucking the necklace into her shirt. She placed her hands on her hips and stared at Naruto. "So what happens now?"

Naruto suddenly whipped Koyuki around and threw her onto his back. The princess unconsciously wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck to avoid falling while Naruto supported her legs. "Now I take you back." Naruto said, already making his way back the way he came.

Koyuki just sighed, not even bothering to struggle. Naruto was a good deal larger than her and she figured he could easily resist her escape attempts. "Why are you so determined to protect me?" She asked.

Naruto, who had been focused on locating his clone's chakra to lead him back, took a moment to answer. "You're my responsibility. I'm the director, so it's my job to protect and care for the cast and crew of a movie. Besides, it _is _my fault you got mixed up here anyway." Naruto grinned sheepishly, though Koyuki couldn't see it.

The actress snorted. "Please, I probably would have a longer life expectancy with the Snow ninja than with your goddamn dangerous stunts and action scenes."

Naruto glanced back at Koyuki. "I would never put you in real danger. Sasuke, Sakura, and I are all trained in the ninja arts. If anything had actually gone wrong, we would have had you out of harm's way instantly. Despite what many people think, I take the safety of my workers very seriously."

Koyuki didn't know what to say to that, so she remained quiet. Naruto continued. "This is why you need to stay with the crew, or at the very least with me, Sasuke, or Sakura. There are trained men after your life and they will kill you if they get a chance."

The princess buried her face in Naruto's shoulder. "So what if they do? I should have died all those years ago, back in that fire. Ever since that day, my heart has been dead. No matter what happens, I've been unable to shed a single tear."

Naruto took a moment to survey the large cave before him. His senses were telling him that his clone was on the other side, so he adjusted Koyuki slightly and entered. Once inside Naruto spoke again. "Frankly, I hate that nihilistic crap."

Before Koyuki could respond, Naruto continued. "I'm not going to stand here and claim that you have no right to hate the world, because I have no idea what kind of shit you've gone through. I can only speak for myself, but I see each day as a gift. Something to be treasured, because you never know when something could come along and take away everything you thought you knew. Just sitting around feeling sorry for yourself never got anyone anywhere. If I've got time to mope, then I've got time to try and improve my situation in life. Still, that's only my opinion. Take it for what it's worth."

Koyuki stared down at Naruto in amazement, unable to think of a retort to Naruto's words. "Besides," the blonde continued. "Your heart may not be as dead as you think."

"What do you mean?"

"The Hex Crystal. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that's all you have left to remember your father by." Koyuki didn't correct him, so Naruto continued. "It serves as a direct link to your past, and yet you still carry it with you. Even when I told you I could use it to track you down, you didn't even contemplate throwing it away. As much as you try to deny it, you heart still has enough life left in it to hold on to that heirloom. It's a sign that you still love your father."

Koyuki's eyes were wide as Naruto's words struck her. "Naruto… I-"

The princess was cut off by Naruto suddenly tensing beneath her. The ice under Naruto's feet rapidly melted, revealing metallic train tracks. Naruto bent down to examine them. "Chakra is being circulated through the tracks to defrost them. Why would they-?"

A piercing whistle echoed through the cavern, followed by the loud roar of an approaching engine. Naruto and Koyuki stared in amazement as massive locomotive, so large it filled the cavern, charged towards them.

"Can you outrun a train?" Koyuki asked.

"We're about to find out!" Naruto shouted as he turned and bolted towards the exit. To the princess' utter amazement; it seemed that Naruto could indeed outrun a train, as the locomotive gained no ground on them. The light of the exit soon appeared and Naruto picked up the pace, chakra flowing through his legs as he poured on the speed.

Naruto and Koyuki burst out of the cavern, immediately diving off the tracks and out of the way of the train. The locomotive shot out of the cavern a few seconds later. A screech filled the air as the brakes were applied, causing the train to stop close to a nearby hill.

Naruto glanced around, only mildly surprised to see the rest of the film crew scattered around the area. Looks like they had been trying to film before the train showed up. A voice suddenly spoke up through a loud speaker.

"Hello, Koyuki. It's so nice to see you."

Koyuki froze. She stared up at the train in horror. "I knew it. It's Doto." Standing on top of the front train car was Doto, decked out in Daimyo robes and holding a microphone. A bandaged Nadare stood next to him, glaring at Naruto.

Naruto placed himself in between Koyuki and the train. "That is one impressive nose you've got going on there, pal. Hate to break it to you, but Koyuki is under contract. She doesn't have time for a family reunion."

Before Doto could respond, half a dozen logs were suddenly pushed down the hill and impacted with the side of the train. "What the hell?" Naruto murmured.

At the top of the hill stood a large group of men, all decked out in what looked like old samurai armor. Each of them held a sword, spear, or weapon of the like. Sandayu, also in armor, stepped forward and began shouting.

"Look, my comrades! Our Princess has returned! With her watching over us, victory will be ours!" The men all began cheering. Sandayu drew his sword and pointed it at Doto. "Hear me, Doto! We, The Fifty Loyalists, shall overthrow you and take back our country! Your tyranny ends today!" The men all cheered again and began charging down the hill towards the train.

"Does everyone in this country have a goddamn death wish?" Naruto demanded as the sides of the train cars opened. The doors slid back to reveal a row upon row of slotted hatches. "Those are kunai launchers! They'll be torn to shreds!"

The men continued on, not understanding the danger they were in. Naruto was too far away to do anything and he didn't dare leave the princess alone. Fortunately, Sakura saved the day. "Earth Style: Monumental Protection!" A massive wall of stone erupted from snow, causing the men to stop their charge. Not a moment too soon, as a literal wall of kunai erupted from the train and impacted with Sakura's jutsu.

The Snow ninja continued firing, hoping to punch through the barrier, but Sakura's jutsu held firm. Once the kunai finally stopped flying, Sasuke leapt over the wall. "Thunder Style: Erratic Electric!" Sasuke fired beam after beam of electricity into the train cars. The bouncing jutsu wildly ricocheted off the inner walls of the train, killing anyone inside.

Doto and Nadare quickly ducked inside their private train car and the locomotive began to move, attempting to escape. Sakura was having none of it. "Earth Style: Crashing Carnage!" Colossal hands mad of rock rose from the ice and began smashing their enormous fists into the train. As the train tried to get away, the hands latched onto the various cars and began pulling the locomotive backwards.

The front two cars, the only ones without hands on them, detached from the rest and escaped, leaving the rest of the train to be mercilessly pounded flat by Sakura. Once the fists finally stopped, Sakura appeared and lowered the rock wall that had protected the Loyalists.

Naruto picked up Koyuki and made his way over towards his friends. "Way to save the day, you two. That was pretty spectacular."

Sasuke grinned while high fiving Sakura. "It's just part of being a hero. All that nick of time stuff."

Naruto gave Sasuke a grin. "I just wish we could have gotten that on camera."

"We did." Sakura pointed up the hill to where the crew was hiding under white tarp for camouflage. Several camera lenses were sticking out of the tarps.

"Excellent." Naruto grinned.

"Do you see, Comrades?" Sandayu suddenly shouted. "Our princess has brought brave warriors to aid us. With her on our side, we cannot fail!" The rest of the Loyalist began chanting Koyuki's name, causing the girl to appear ready to bolt again.

Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a warm smile. "Relax. We aren't going to force you into anything you aren't prepared for. Not again. Just let me deal with these guys." The actress took comfort in Naruto's words and calmed down.

Naruto strode up the hill towards Sandayu, who was in the middle of another rousing speech. Naruto tapped Sandayu on his shoulder, causing the man to turn to face Naruto. Once Sandayu was looking at him, Naruto immediately decked him in the face.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Naruto demanded. "What in God's name were you hoping to accomplish by storming a train with swords? Were you hoping Doto would choke on his own laughter?"

Sandayu got to his feet, rubbing his bruised cheek. "Why can't you understand that with Koyuki on our side, we can win any battle?"

"Why can't you understand that a twenty year old girl isn't going to magically make you invincible? If it wasn't for Sakura, all of you would be dead." Naruto growled.

Sandayu straightened his glasses. "I'm prepared to die for my country."

"Fine, then I'll just kill you now." Naruto said as he grabbed a kunai from the ground.

"Wh-what?" Sandayu recoiled in fear.

Naruto shrugged. "Killing you now would accomplish exactly as much as letting Doto mow you down, absolutely nothing. Listen, I admire your spirit, really I do, but you seem to be under the impression that throwing your own life away will solve your problem. Courage and fortitude are important, but without any common sense or direction, you're just going to die a pointless death."

Sandayu turned to Koyuki. "Princess, surely you understand what we are trying to do here?"

Koyuki gazed at Naruto for a moment before responding. "I agree with Naruto. You just keep shouting about how you intend to overthrow Doto, but you don't seem to have any plan beyond getting me in Snow Country. At least these three seem to know what they're doing."

Naruto shook his head and tossed the kunai away. "Keep your men out of our way. It's only going to end badly for everyone if you try another stunt like you did earlier." Naruto turned to the film crew, intending to tell them to pack up and move out, only for Sakura to cry out.

"Naruto!"

Naruto turned to see an airship rise up over the canyon. It was a gigantic purple blip attached to a two story box car. A grappling hook shot out of the air ship and wrapped itself around Koyuki. The Princess shrieked as she was hauled into the air.

Before anyone could react, another kunai launcher rained down explosive kunai, causing everyone to take cover. Naruto cursed as he watched the air ship get away. "Naruto!" The blonde turned at the sound of Sasuke's voice. The Uchiha tossed Naruto the flight pack he had taken from Fubuki. "Go after her. We'll clean up here then follow you." Naruto nodded and used some rope to tie the flight pack to his back.

Once the wings were secured, Naruto took off running down the hill. The blonde leapt into the air and gathered wind beneath him. Naruto couldn't quite withhold the holler of excitement as he felt himself take flight. The wings were intended for gliding, similar to Temari's fan, but for a master of the wind like Naruto, it was all he needed to fly. "Where does Doto get all these wonderful toys?"

Naruto shook his head to regain his focus. There was time for experimentation later. For now, he had to save Koyuki. Naruto's eyes locked onto the airship and he began closing in on it. "Hold on, Princess. I'm coming."

Scene Break

Koyuki kept her face impassive as Doto began talking to her. She was in a lavish sitting area, but the fancy surroundings didn't fool her. She could see various snow ninja up in the rafters, waiting for her to make trouble.

"Come now, there is no need to be so cold." Doto said. "I'm so relieved to see you again. I can't tell you how I worried for your safety." Koyuki didn't react; she simply kept her eyes forward. "Very well then, let's dispense with the pleasantries. Give me the Hex Crystal."

Koyuki actually reached up to remove the crystal, only for Naruto's words to echo in her mind. _"As much as you try to deny it, you heart still has enough life left in it to hold on to that heirloom. It's a sign that you still love your father."_

"Why do you want the crystal?" Koyuki asked, hoping to buy some time.

Doto stared down at her for a moment before deciding to explain. "The Kazahana clan's greatest treasure is locked away within the Rainbow Glacier. There is a key hole that only Hex Crystal can open. Once I have control of it, Snow Country will gain enough power to surpass even the Five Great nations!"

"You don't get out much, do you?" Everyone turned to see Naruto, bold as brass, standing in the middle of the room. "Do you really think a couple of fancy gadgets will overpower the Great nations when you can't even handle one director and a few actors?"

The Snow ninja from the rafters all shot out a strange, web like substance from their gauntlets, wrapping up Naruto. The blonde snorted in amusement before sending out a blast of wind from his body. Not only did this shred his constraints, but it also knocked the surrounding ninja into the wall, where most of them fell unconscious.

"You bastard." Doto growled.

"Now, now, there is no need for harsh language. I'm simply here to pick up Koyuki and take her back to the set. We're on a schedule here and your dragging us down." Naruto looked over at Koyuki, who was staring in amazement. "Are you all right, Koyuki?" She nodded. "Good. Let me just talk with your uncle about your curfew and-"

While Naruto was talking, Nadare snuck up behind him and slammed an odd gear shaped device into Naruto's stomach. Green wires embedded themselves into Naruto's skin and Naruto could feel his chakra beginning to drain.

Nadare laughed as the device began to work. "This is a new prototype we've been working on. Think of it like a reverse Chakra armor. As opposed to protecting from chakra, it absorbs it and binds it into a barrier that will-"

Nadare stopped talking when the device suddenly fell off of Naruto and clattered to the ground. The entire thing was smoking and looked like it had been burned to a crisp. "Huh, looks like it just couldn't handle all my chakra." Naruto turned to face Nadare, an evil smirk on his face. "Oh well, back to drawing board."

Naruto delivered a high kick directly into Nadare's chin. The Snow ninja went flying backwards and smashed straight through one of the windows. Nadare was so jarred by Naruto's attack; he fell hundreds of feet to the ground below, unable to slow his decent.

Naruto stared at the broken window for a moment before shrugging and turning back to towards Doto. The Snow Daimyo was standing next to an open door, he had Koyuki in his grasp and a knife held to her throat.

"I don't know who you are, but take one more step and I'll kill the girl." Doto seethed as he pressed the knife into Koyuki's neck. Naruto's eyes narrowed, but he didn't move. "Good boy. Now, I'm going to take Koyuki with me and you're going to just stay right there. Wouldn't want anything bad to happen to the princess, right?"

Koyuki struggled in Doto's grip. She twisted her head just enough to for her hand to reach her ear. "Hey, Uncle." Doto looked down at Koyuki, allowing her to nail him in the face with a blast of pepper spray from her earing.

Doto recoiled in pain as the irritant got in his eyes. "You bitch!" He wildly slashed out with his knife at Koyuki. He ended up cutting her coat and severed the string holding the Hex Crystal. Everyone watched in amazement as the crystal fell out the open door. Without even realizing it, both Doto and Koyuki jumped out the door to get the crystal.

Naruto couldn't believe what had just happened. "What the hell is wrong with everyone in this country?" He yelled as he ran for the door. Naruto left some Shadow clones behind to land the ship before leaping out after Koyuki.

Despite the irritant in his eyes, Doto managed to grab the Hex Crystal on his way to the ground. A pair of purple wings erupted from his back, shredding his robes. The torn cloth fell away to reveal black Chakra armor. The wings halted Doto's fall and he turned to watch his niece fall to her death.

A blonde blur shot past him and Doto frowned as he realized Naruto had his own pair of wings, most likely taken from Fubuki. Doto considered staying to kill the brat, but decided against it. He had the crystal and once he activated the Rainbow Glacier, no one would be able to stop him. Decision made, he flew off towards the glacier.

Naruto quickly strapped the Flight Pack to his back as he raced after Koyuki. He couldn't just grab her and stop, that would do as much damage as hitting the ground. He needed to slow her descent first. Naruto caught up to Koyuki and wrapped his arms around her. "Hold on, Princess!"

Naruto commanded the winds to shift beneath him . The sudden updraft caught the wings and the pair's descent began to slow. Once they had slowed enough, Naruto flipped himself right side up, still holding Koyuki in his arms.

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked, shifting Koyuki so he had one arm under her back and one under her knees.

Koyuki's eyes were wide as she stared up at the air ship. "I can't believe I just did that. I jumped out of a goddamn air ship! For a necklace!"

Naruto chuckled. "Like I said, even if you don't realize it, that necklace is important to you. People do crazy stuff for things that are important to them."

Koyuki shifted her attention to Naruto, her gaze softening slightly. "You came after me. You protected me." She whispered.

"I promised I would, didn't I? Now, let's get you back to the crew and-"

"No! We don't have time! Doto has the Hex Crystal. We need to stop him!" Koyuki interrupted.

Naruto stared down at her. "You want me to take you to the Rainbow Glacier? You realize it's going to be a fight, right? Why the sudden shift?"

Koyuki looked away. "Maybe… maybe I don't want my father's legacy to be used for conquest. Besides," Koyuki wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck. "You'll protect me, won't you? I believe in you. You can stop Doto."

Naruto looked at Koyuki's hopeful expression, a smile breaking out on his face. "Alright then, I've never been one to refuse the request of a beautiful woman." Koyuki blushed slightly as Naruto tightened his hold on her, causing her to press up against his chest. "Let's go!"

Scene Break

Sasuke and Sakura emerged from the trees to find themselves standing on the edge of a cliff overlooking several odd structures in the distance. It seemed like six rectangles covered in ice and set up in a circle.

"Ah, the Rainbow Glacier." Sandayu breathed as he caught up with the two time travelers. Sasuke and Sakura had left behind several Shadow clones to get the crew in order while they intended to follow after Naruto by tracking his chakra. Sandayu had insisted he come along, even though he was slowing them down.

"Why would Naruto come here?" Sakura wondered.

"It doesn't matter as long as Koyuki is safe. If she has come under any harm, I'll send my reports to the authorities and have that man arrested." Sandayu swore.

Sasuke and Sakura glanced at one another. Sandayu was clearly still sore over Koyuki siding with Naruto. "Naruto has done a better job protecting Koyuki then you have, Sandayu." Sasuke said.

Sandayu waved his hand dismissively. "That fool understands nothing. Koyuki must be put on the throne. She must retake Snow Country. Once she is on the throne, I'll be her most trusted advisor. I will guide her and with Doto gone, it will be as if nothing had ever happened to Snow Country."

Sakura and Sasuke's eyes widened as Sandayu continued with his ramblings, seemingly not aware that they could hear him. Sakura grabbed Sasuke's arm and pulled him down to whisper in his ear. "Sasuke, I think Sandayu is delusional!"

Sasuke nodded. "It's possible that losing everything in Doto's take over may have had a psychological effect on him. That could explain why he believes Koyuki will magically fix all his problems. He is so focused on returning to the old days that he can't accept any other outcome."

Sakura grimaced. "That's dangerous. People who can't accept change are the ones who get left behind. If he spends all of his time trying to return to the old days and ignoring everything that happened in between, he could end up a becoming unhinged. If he isn't already."

Sasuke nodded. "What do you think we should do?"

Sakura bit her lip. "Given his mental state, along with the grudge he seems to be creating against Naruto, it might be better if he was… _removed_ from the situation."

"I understand."

Sandayu was standing on the edge of the cliff, looking out at the glacier. He was so focused on his ramblings that he didn't even notice Sasuke stepping up directly behind him. Sandayu only noticed Sasuke when the Uchiha placed a firm hand on the man's back. At that point, it was too late.

Scene Break

Doto landed within the Rainbow Glacier, unable to conceal his glee as he approached the central pedestal. He inserted the Hex Crystal into the activation slot and stepped backwards. He could hear the machinery come to life, all the while imagining what sort of powerful weapon awaited him.

"Doto!" The Daimyo turned to see Naruto standing at the edge of the glacier. Koyuki was with him, though off to the side.

Doto laughed. "You're too late. I've already activated the Secret Weapon of the Kazahana clan. You can't hope to stop me."

Before Naruto could retort, Koyuki spoke. "Is there something wrong with the machine? Is it overheating? It's so warm, but nothing seems to be happening."

Doto's head whipped back and forth as the implication of the machine's purpose began to set in. Naruto spoke to Koyuki. "No, Princess, the machine isn't overheating. This is what the machine is supposed to do. It isn't a weapon, it's-"

"A Heat Generator." Doto whispered. "This is the secret of the Kazahana clan?"

"It's quite an ingenious design." Naruto commented. "It seems like these large pillars are solar panels that absorb energy from the sunlight. The energy is then stored and used to generate heat. Given the size of this thing, I think it could heat all of Snow Country."

Koyuki felt tears well in her eyes for the first time in years. "Father, you always talked of bringing spring to our country. Now it seems like that dream has come true." She whispered.

"Damn you, brother!" Doto seethed. "Even in death you find ways to infuriate me. Very well then, I guess I'll just take it out on your daughter! Ice Style: Black Dragon Blizzard!" A serpent made of black snow erupted from Doto's fist and zeroed in on the defenseless princess.

"Koyuki!" Naruto shouted, shoving her out of the way of the attack.

"Naruto!" The Princess cried out as she saw the blonde take the full brunt of the jutsu. She rushed over to his side, horrified by the damage done him. The entire right side of Naruto's body was black. The skin was flash frozen so intensely, it was practically burned. Naruto tried to get to his feet, only to stumble back to the ground. "Stay down, you're hurt too much!" Koyuki cried.

"What, all that boasting and your down in one shot? How disappointing." Doto laughed as he approached the two. Naruto swore under his breath and unsuccessfully tried to get to his feet. His healing factor wasn't doing much since the wounds were frozen over, preventing healing without proper medical attention.

Naruto growled at Doto through clenched teeth. "I won't let you lay a finger on Koyuki!" Naruto used his good arm to fire a blade of wind at Doto's neck, intending to take off the man's head. He was shocked when the attack bounced off an invisible barrier.

"Ah, yes. Nadare warned me about your excessive chakra levels. This is the latest model of Chakra armor. It can withstand far more powerful jutsu than the previous model. You can't hurt me." Doto laughed.

A voice suddenly spoke up. "What about me? Can _I _hurt you?" Sakura fist connected with Doto's face, sending the man flying backwards. She turned to Naruto, intending to apologize for being late, only to stare in shock as she got a good look at Naruto's wounds. "Good Lord, Naruto!" Sakura dropped to her knees and began running her green covered hands over Naruto's wounds, trying to assess the extent of the damage before healing.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was staring at Naruto's damaged body and felt cold. Not the cold of the ice or the snow, but the coldness of his heart, the same coldness that had over taken him during the Dark Days without Sakura or Naruto. Seeing Naruto lying motionless and heavily damaged made him look like he was dead. Rationally, Sasuke knew Naruto was alive, since the Soul Bond hadn't killed him as well, but the rational part of Sasuke's brain was shut out.

Naruto and Sakura were his anchors, they kept him from losing his own mind and traveling down the dark road so many other Uchiha had before him. Naruto and Sakura were the most important people in the world to Sasuke. Seeing someone he cared about so deeply hurt so badly was more than Sasuke was willing to take.

"Doto." He whispered. "You're a dead man."

Sasuke turned and strode across the Heat Generator to where Doto was getting to his feet. He saw Sasuke approach and laughed. "What's the matter? Upset your friend got hurt? If it makes you feel better, I'll give you a matching wound."

Sasuke vanished, causing Doto to blink. The Uchiha reappeared behind the Daimyo, attempting to kill him with a kunai through the spine. Doto's wings extended and he shot up into the air, barely avoiding Sasuke's attack. "You're fast, but you can't reach me from up here and your jutsu can't penetrate my armor. I was going to kill your friend, but since you're so eager, you can die first!"

Sasuke stared up at Doto. "Do you know what causes Lightning?" Sasuke asked. Doto, who was about to begin his jutsu, was taken aback by the odd question. It's caused by hot and cold air mixing together with large amounts of moisture, creating conduction through the air."

"So what?"

Sasuke smirked. "So, this all the heat and moisture being given off by the generator and the melted snow makes this an ideal place to use lightning and I have something special for you." Sasuke began to rapidly flash through seals. "Normally, this jutsu isn't even possible without special chakra to amplify it, but I'm feeling lucky. Let's see how much this Heat Generator can boost my power!"

"Fine, then bring it!" Doto yelled. "Ice Style: Twin Dragon Blizzard!" Two dragons of black snow descended towards Sasuke. The two dragons twirled around each other, creating a black tornado.

Sasuke finished his jutsu and thrust both arms upward. "Forbidden Jutsu: Dragon Style: Roar of the Heavens!" Sasuke's entire body was consumed in electricity. The power built and built, focusing itself into Sasuke's arms. From the Uchiha's fists emerged a dragon made of pure lightning. The beast's head was nearly as large as the entire glacier, its body was long enough to wrap around all of the Leaf Village. The colossal creature roared, its very voice crackling with power.

Doto's dragons evaporated as they came in contact with electrical monstrosity. The Daimyo of Snow didn't even have time to scream as he was consumed by the Dragon's jaws. With its enemy vanquished, the Dragon rose high into the sky and roared its victory to the very heavens before slowly fading away.

Koyuki's jaw was hanging open at the incredible display of power. Sakura was amazed as well, but for a different reason. "That idiot!" She growled. Sakura created a Shadow Clone that quickly leapt across the glacier towards Sasuke, while she focused on healing Naruto.

The Shadow Clone placed Sasuke down on the ground next to Naruto. Sakura's work was already apparent as Naruto was now able to sit up and the color was returning to his skin. The clone quickly began working on Sasuke, berating him the entire way.

"What the hell were you thinking using a Sage technique without access to Nature chakra? I can't believe that didn't kill you!" Sakura began healing Sasuke's arms, which were badly scorched. "Goddammit, Sasuke, you completely fried your Chakra Coils. You won't be able to perform jutsu for months after this."

Sasuke chuckled weakly. "Yeah, but I sure showed that guy."

"You went too far, Sasuke." Naruto chided.

Sasuke tilted his head to look at Naruto. "He hurt you, Naruto." Sasuke said, completely serious. "I refuse to let someone get away with hurting you. I won't allow it, not now and not ever."

Naruto just chuckled. "I love you too, Sasuke."

Koyuki had been watching this with interest. "You all really care about each other, don't you?" She asked.

"Damn straight." All three time travelers said at once, causing Koyuki to giggle.

The princess sighed lightly. "I wish I had friends like you three."

"Who says you can't? Naruto asked. Koyuki gave him a confused look, prompting Naruto to continue. "I'm Naruto, this is Sakura, and this is Sasuke. Would you like to be our friend?"

Koyuki stared at the three in shock, before a bright smile broke out on her face. "Yes, I would." Koyuki once again felt tears well in her eyes, but she decided it wasn't so bad being able to cry.

Scene Break

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were sitting beneath a tree in the gardens of the Daimyo's palace. With the Heat Generator melting all the snow, the weather was now reminiscent of spring as opposed to the dead of winter. The three time travelers were relaxing in the shade, wanting to avoid unneeded stress on their bodies. Sakura was fine, and Naruto had mostly healed, but Sasuke was still fairly banged up.

"I'm surprised Koyuki decided to become the Daimyo after all." Sakura said as she floated a few pebbles above her palm.

"I'm not." Naruto replied. "That girl has some real will power in her. Once she made the decision, there was no stopping her. It just had to be _her _decision, not Sandayu's. Speaking of which, where is that rat bastard anyway? I want to make sure doesn't send out those reports just to spite me."

Sasuke, who had been attempting to nap, opened his eyes. "Sandayu's dead."

Naruto arched an eyebrow. "Really? What happened?"

"He fell." Sasuke said simply.

Naruto stared at his companion for a moment. "I see. Oh well, one less thing to worry about." Naruto glanced off to the right. "Say, here comes Koyuki."

The three got to their feet as the newly inducted Daimyo approached. All three bowed to Koyuki, which made her laugh. "If there is anyone who has the right to be informal with me, it's you three." She gave all three of them hugs, though Naruto's lasted much longer than the other two.

"So, now that you're in charge of a country, are you giving up on acting?" Sakura asked.

"Are you kidding?" Koyuki laughed. "Ruling over the Land of Snow and acting? I think I can handle both. In fact, I was recently approached to star in the Make-Out Paradise movie." She suddenly stepped closer to Naruto and wrapped her arms around his neck, a smug smirk on her lips. "Of course, I only agreed under the condition that my very close and personal friend, a Mister Naruto Uzumaki, would direct and star as my leading man."

Koyuki gave Naruto a quick kiss on the cheek and whispered in his ear. "Don't let me down, I believe in you." With one final wink, Koyuki said goodbye and walked off.

"Well, well, looks like Jiraiya is going to get his movie after all." Sakura smirked at Naruto's expression."

Sasuke just shook his head. "Isn't most of it just faked anyway?"

That seemed to snap Naruto out of his stupor. "Sasuke, what do you take me for? Have you already forgotten my motto? Realism is always better. I owe it to my audience and myself to use as much realism as possible."

Sakura laughed and gave Naruto a light smack upside the head. "Sure you do, Stud. Come on, we've got a boat to catch."

"We aren't taking the boat home?" Naruto said.

"Then how are we getting back?" Sasuke asked.

A grin broke out on Naruto's face. "We'll be using a present from Koyuki. Follow me." Naruto led his two friends outside the palace and around the outer wall, where Koyuki's gift was waiting for them.

"Is that?"

"Doto's airship." Naruto was practically bouncing up and down. "It's filled to brim with all sorts of gadgets and gizmos and it's all ours. Koyuki is already having a second one built, so we get to keep this one. It even has a few sets of chakra armor in it." Naruto paused for a moment. "I'm driving!"

The three quickly entered their new airship, with Sasuke and Sakura taking a moment to appreciate the fancy interior. Naruto made his way over to the Captain's wheel and activated the ship. The entire vehicle slowly began to ascend as Naruto took a hold of the wheel.

"Next stop, the Land of Fire. Let's go!"

End

A/N: I have only seen three of the Naruto movies and didn't particularly love any of them, so don't expect many chapters based on the Movies. I only really used this one for the excuse to get Naruto as a director and Sasuke and Sakura as actors.

Several (dozen) people have asked me about whether or not there will be parings in this story. This chapter is about as close as it's ever going to get. I like pairings, but I'm not sure how well I would be able to write a romantic story. Besides, I really want to focus on the platonic relationship between Team 7 and I feel like pairings would detract from that.

On the subject of bashing, I have read a _lot_ of bashing fanfics in my time and enjoyed plenty of them. If you read my profile, you'll know that I used to despise Sakura, but I'm less disinclined towards her now. The reason I bring this up is because I enjoying reading bashing (within reason), but I don't like writing it. That being said, I don't like Sandayu and I found myself ragging on him quite a bit during this chapter. I fear that I may have crossed a line and traveled into bashing territory, which is something I would rather avoid. So I ask you, dear readers, did I go too far with Sandayu? Please give your honest opinion. I'll never learn otherwise. Thank you.


	6. Death of a Leader

A/N: I'm really surprised by the overwhelmingly positive response this story has generated. I've gotten a lot of reviews and someone even put my story on the Fanfiction Recommendation page at TvTropes, which I consider a huge achievement. I love you all.

Hey, here's an idea! Make a chapter that encompasses practically all of part one of the series and make it right around the end stretch of your freshman year at college. That won't take forever to get finished. If you all have grown impatient with the wait, then I apologize. Get comfortable, this is the longest chapter yet.

EDIT: I cleaned up some typos in this chapter and changed the scene where Sarutobi promotes Team 7 slightly. I didn't like the original scene and thought by justification for the promotion law was rather weak. Kurisutina-san suggested a much better way to explain the law and I've used their version with their permission.

Start

Kakashi strolled into Training ground 3 over two hours late. He figured he had made his potential new students sweat enough before showing up for the bell test. He expected to find them lounging around the training ground, but instead they were all seated on the ground overlooking a scroll.

Naruto was pointing to something on the scroll and shaking his head while Sakura angrily pointed to another part and whispering heatedly at him. Sasuke had his hands on both their shoulders and appeared to be playing the mediator between the two.

The entire display utterly baffled Kakashi. Not only was Naruto arguing with Sakura, his supposed crush, but Sasuke the loner was trying to calm them both down.

Sasuke spotted Kakashi standing there and quickly informed the other two. Naruto rolled up the scroll before Kakashi could get a good look at it and stowed it away. Sakura got to her feet and shot Naruto a look that clearly said their argument wasn't over before the three turned their attention to Kakashi.

Kakashi stared down at the three graduates. He was certain they were going to fail, especially considering how agitated they seemed with one another. Kakashi didn't know what they were arguing about, but it certainly wouldn't do them any favors in the test. Kakashi began to explain the bell test, but was cut off by Sakura.

"Can we get on with this? I've been itching to try out some new techniques on a Jonin level opponent and I want to get started." Naruto and Sasuke nodded in agreement.

Kakashi was nonplussed by this statement. The girl seemed to be implying that she had techniques that were on a Jonin's level, but that was ridiculous, right? She had only just left the academy.

"Yeah, I've got a new trick I've been working on." Naruto said, patting the pouch where he had stashed the scroll from earlier. Sakura turned and glared at him, but she said nothing.

Kakashi slowly placed the alarm clock down on a log post, careful not to take his eyes off the three before him. The way they acted not only completely went against their records, but Kakashi couldn't help but feel a sense of dread as he prepared to test them.

Kakashi had instincts honed through years as a Jonin elite, and every single one of them was yelling at Kakashi to get the hell away from the three individuals in front of him. The Jonin shook his head. These were just children, he would be fine.

"Alright, go."

A fist connected with Kakashi's face the moment he finished his statement. Sakura's blow sent Kakashi skidding across the ground and into the lake, where he skipped across the surface twice before submerging.

Team 7 wasn't in the best of spirits. In their last loop, after tracking the kidnapped Gaara to one of Akatsuki's caves used for demon extraction, they managed to kill Sasori, but Deidara escaped. The three time travelers decided to lay a trap for Akatsuki. They left the puppet master's body in the rubble caused by a cave in from one of Sakura's jutsu and waited for Zetsu to arrive to take back the ring. To their surprise and excitement, Zetsu arrived with Tobi in tow.

It was a perfect set up; Tobi had no idea they were there, he wasn't expecting them to be as strong as they were, and a thunderstorm was even rolling in, which along with the rubble and open space of the area, meant all three of them had ideal conditions to use their elemental Jutsu. So they waited for the perfect moment and sprung their trap.

They still couldn't lay a goddamned finger on the guy!

It was truly incredible; Sasuke had started the show by nailing Tobi with a blast of Amaterasu's black flames. Not only had he somehow walked off the attack without a scratch, but no matter what they tried after that, their attacks just phased right through Tobi like he wasn't even there.

It was infuriating, like trying to fight smoke. Nothing they did seemed to even phase the guy, he just calmly stood there while Team 7 tried everything they could to wound him. He would even mock their attempts to hurt him in that aggravating high pitched voice, which they knew wasn't real. He seemed to finally grow bored of watching them struggle and went on the offensive.

Sakura thought her own physical strength was incredible, but Tobi's defied description. Tobi caught a full power punch thrown by Sakura with his right hand. Not only did he completely halt the blow, he then proceeded to grind her fist into power as well. Sasuke and Naruto had moved to intervene, but he easily smacked the two of them away. The same right hand latched onto Sakura's throat and slowly began to crush her windpipe.

Sakura's vision had gone dark as she slowly suffocated under Tobi's iron grip. She tried lashing out with her feet, but they only passed through the man's body. The last thing she saw before dying had been the green jaw of Zetsu rising from the ground to devour her as Tobi unceremoniously dropped her limp body to the ground.

This was why the three time-travelers were so agitated. Naruto was frustrated with how little progress they were making on defeating Tobi, Sasuke was upset at himself for letting Sakura die, and Sakura was pissed that she had died first, which she always found humiliating. At the moment, they all needed stress relief and unfortunately for Kakashi, he was the current target of their misplaced aggression.

Kakashi's head popped out of the water, clearly bewildered by the strength and speed Sakura had displayed. His attention was quickly redirected as Sasuke launched a Lightning attack into the lake, electrifying the whole thing. Being a Lightning elemental himself, Kakashi was able to ward off the worst of it, but he was still painfully shocked by the attack.

Deciding it would be in his best interest to get out of the water, Kakashi sprung from the lake onto the dry land. Dry land that suddenly came to life as fists and spikes made of stone began shooting out of it. Kakashi furiously backpedaled to avoid the attack, only to be dragged into a literal tornado.

The howling winds tore at Kakashi and the violent swirling motion was beginning to make the Jonin nauseous. Kakashi quickly launched a jutsu, though it wasn't easy to focus inside a tornado. The jutsu Kakashi used was fairly basic, simply emitting a blast of wind in all directions, but it managed to disrupt the tornado enough to allow the Jonin to escape.

Kakashi immediately Body-Flickered away from the clearing and hid among the trees to catch his breath. The Jonin wished he had followed his own advice about skipping breakfast, as he felt close to vomiting. Kakashi managed to swallow his nausea and glanced out towards the clearing.

Naruto was staring at the destroyed patch of grass where his tornado had been with a frown on his face. Sasuke walked up next to him and spoke, though Kakashi was too far away to hear and at the wrong angle to read their lips. Naruto replied to Sasuke while shaking his head and gesturing towards the area his jutsu destroyed, apparently commenting on it.

Kakashi began to calm down as his breath returned and tried to figure out what was going on. Three children had just shown a disturbing amount of deadly skill and force while attacking him. The white-haired ninja wasn't sure what to make of this situation. Were the three somehow holding back throughout the academy? Were they spy's who were simply impersonating the students? Were they from the future and had traveled back in time to avoid some great tragedy? Kakashi quickly dismissed that possibility as being ridiculous.

As Kakashi ran different scenarios through his head, he watched Naruto and Sasuke both run off into the woods. 'Okay.' Kakashi thought. 'Those two are heading in the wrong direction, so that should buy me some time. The only question is, where's Sakura? I can't find her. Where could she-?'

"Uncover your Sharingan."

Kakashi whipped around to find the girl he had been searching for not five feet behind him. Sakura had her arms crossed in from of her and was glaring at him. It took a moment for Sakura's word to register to the shocked Jonin. "Uncover my what?" He asked.

Sakura's arms unfolded and her hand clenched into fists at her side. "I want a real fight, so uncover your Sharingan." The pink haired girl spoke slowly, as if speaking to a child.

Kakashi decided to play innocent to buy some time. "I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about." The tree behind Kakashi suddenly exploded into splinters as Sakura's fist connected with the trunk. She glared up at Kakashi.

"Do you think I'm stupid? Uncover your damn Sharingan. I won't ask again." The pink haired girl's voice was cold and demanding.

Kakashi began furiously backpedaling in an effort to get away from Sakura. He didn't know how she had such incredible strength, only that it was very real and very dangerous. Kakashi's foot suddenly exploded in pain as thin stone spikes erupted out of the ground. The Jonin realized that the entire surrounding area was covered in similar spikes, cutting off a ground escape.

"Fine, if you won't take that headband off, I'll rip it off you." Sakura closed in on Kakashi with her fists raised. The silver-haired Jonin threw up a smoke bomb and leapt up into the trees to avoid the super powered girl.

With her vision cut off, Sakura simply attacked everywhere at once. "Earth style: Furious Edge!" Large, jagged slabs of stone shot out of the ground in all directions. The viciously sharp edges piercing the air. Even up in the trees, Kakashi couldn't completely avoid the attack. One of the slabs managed to clip the side of his torso, leaving a nasty gash. The Jonin decided he couldn't afford to let Sakura pinpoint his location and he quickly leapt off into the trees.

Kakashi could hear the girl's furious shouts as she realized he had escaped. The one eyed Jonin found it somewhat difficult to jump through the trees with an injured foot and a large cut along his ribs, but he managed. So focused on ignoring the pain of his injuries, Kakashi accidently ignored the approaching threat

"Boo." Kakashi nearly leapt out of his skin at the sound of Sasuke's voice. The Uchiha was keeping pace with him as he leapt through the trees. Sasuke's hand lashed out at Kakashi's face and smacked the Jonin's forehead protector off his head. Once both of Kakashi's eyes were exposed, Sasuke activated his own Sharingan and attacked.

Kakashi was once again stunned by the skill displayed by someone fresh out of the academy. Sasuke engaged Kakashi in close combat while still leaping through the trees. The Uchiha struck with precision and force as he pushed Kakashi onto his heels.

"Thunder Style: Spitting Hydra!" Sasuke threw his hands forward, launching eight bolts of lightning in different directions. Kakashi was momentarily confused by the attack, since none of the bolts were heading in his direction. The silver haired Jonin swore when he saw the the bolts literally change direction in mid-air and home in on him from all sides.

Kakashi landed on a branch and prepared to leap off to avoid Sasuke's attack, only for a ninja wire to wrap around his feet and pinned him to the branch. Kakashi didn't have time to cut himself free and now understood that he couldn't afford to hold back.

"Lightning Blade!" Kakashi's signature jutsu encased his right hand. With speed and precision honed through years of training with Gai, Kakashi lashed out and spit all eight bolts of lightning with a single swing before slicing the wires around his feet.

Dispelling the jutsu, Kakashi crouched low and flung himself off the branch towards Sasuke. The Uchiha had been surprised to see his jutsu countered, so was unprepared for Kakashi's sudden switch to offense. The Jonin's foot slammed into Sasuke's gut, flinging the Uchiha backwards.

Sasuke flung out his arm, shooting a cluster of ninja wire towards a tree. The metallic wires wrapped around the trunk and allowed Sasuke to fling himself around the tree and slingshot himself back at Kakashi.

"Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!"

Sasuke cursed his decision to throw himself back at Kakashi as he was now heading straight for the Jonin's attack. Sasuke knew that Kakashi could use the Grand Fireball Jutsu better than most Uchiha, and any jutsu Sasuke had capable of deflecting or piercing the fireball would take too long to use. Sasuke was left with only one choice.

"Amaterasu!"

The Black Flames of Hell impacted with Kakashi's jutsu. Kakashi's Fireball Jutsu may have been powerful, but Amaterasu was the greatest of all flames. The unnatural fire could incinerate and consume anything, even lesser flames. Once Kakashi's Fireball had been consumed by Amaterasu, Sasuke quickly suppressed the flames, lest they spread and destroy the entire forest.

Sasuke cleared the area where the two jutsu had met, expecting to see Kakashi waiting for him. Instead, Sasuke found himself heading straight towards a tree covered in smoldering explosive tags.

"That son of a bitch." Sasuke murmured in admiration as the tags detonated, creating a blast zone almost twenty feet wide.

Scene Break

Kakashi sped through the forest as fast as he could. His injuries and exposed Sharingan were beginning to take a toll on his body, but he had to report to the Hokage. Kakashi needed to inform the Hokage that the three people who were supposed to be academy students clearly weren't.

Sakura had displayed disturbing levels of strength and efficiency with her Earth Jutsu, Naruto had trapped him in a powerful wind jutsu that Kakashi had never seen before, and Sasuke was even worse.

The Jonin had once held the 'pleasure' of serving in Anbu with Itachi Uchiha. The small bits of information about the Sharingan he had managed to draw from Itachi, coupled with Kakashi's own research meant Kakashi knew quite a bit about the Copy Wheel Eye. As such, the Jonin had immediately recognized the technique Sasuke had used and what it implied.

Kakashi couldn't help the involuntary shudder that passed through him. The thought of someone who wasn't even a genin wielding the powers of the Mangekyou terrified him. There was already enough worry that Sasuke would defect the village or, even worse, go insane and slaughter as many people as he can. With the power of the Mangekyou, Sasuke could wreak untold amounts of destruction. Kakashi needed to report the Hokage.

Kakashi landed on the ground, trying to catch his breath. The use of the Sharingan was draining, and he was injured, but he shouldn't be so thoroughly wiped out so quickly. 'Have I been neglecting my own training?' Kakashi thought to himself. 'My body shouldn't be this weak. Once this is over, I need to start training with Gai again'

"Found you."

Kakashi was getting tired of people sneaking up on him and mentally promised to practice his situational awareness as well. The Jonin got to his feet and turned to see Naruto standing nearby, an eager expression on his face.

"Looks like you're a little beat up." Naruto commented casually. "Seems Sasuke and Sakura got to you first. Oh well." Naruto shrugged before reaching into his weapon pouch and pulling out the scroll Kakashi saw the three pouring over earlier. "I have something I've been interested in testing lately. Would you kindly activate your Mangekyou Sharingan for me?"

Kakashi stared at the blonde in horror, wondering how Naruto knew about the Mangekyou. Kakashi had indeed discovered it, but any attempt to use it knocked him out for extended periods. After the last attempt put Kakashi in a coma for over a month, the Jonin had decided the Mangekyou was impossible for anyone other than an Uchiha to use.

Naruto frowned slightly at Kakashi's lack of action. He sighed. "If you won't do it willingly, maybe I can force it out of you." Naruto unraveled the scroll. "This is an experiment I've been working on. It is basically the opposite of a sealing jutsu."

Kakashi tensed as Naruto approached. Seals were never his specialty, but even at a glance he could tell that the seals on the scroll were highly advanced. Naruto continued on with his explanation.

"You see, when an object is sealed into a scroll, a large amount of matter is condensed into a very small space, where it is kept in stasis. You could almost consider it to be a small pocket dimension. When the seal is activated, the object is recalled to this dimension and returns to its original mass." Naruto held the scroll out in front of him. "So that got me wondering, what if, instead of condensing matter into a smaller space, the seal expanded it? Essentially, this Seal is designed to create space, where this is no space. You could almost consider it Anti-matter. Matter and Anti-matter can't exist simultaneously and the result is rather…violent. I dare say this could even hurt someone capable of traveling between dimensions."

Naruto sighed. "Sorry Kakashi, I wanted to test this on Tobi, but you'll have to do. Activate your Mangekyou so I can test this properly." The seals began to glow. "Distortion Wave!"

Scene Break

Sakura idly looked over the burned out area of the forest. The trees and dirt were charred and it looked like a bomb had gone off, most likely because one had.

"Hey!" Sakura called out. "I know you're still alive, so where are you?"

Sakura received a pained groan as a reply as Sasuke pulled himself out of a pile of rubble. He shook himself to remove some of the ash clinging to his body as he got to his feet. He glanced around the devastated area and whistled slightly. "Man that was close."

Sakura grunted slightly. "How'd you survive that, anyway?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Multiple Shadow Clones to dampen the blast while simultaneously launching a lightning jutsu at the ground to propel myself away." Sakura gave Sasuke a disbelieving look. "Swear to God." He said.

Sakura shook her head and groaned. "I just don't understand how you manage to get out of a deadly situation like that." She muttered.

Sasuke grinned. "Is this about my Great Snake Escape?"

"There is no way you had time to summon Manda, hypnotize him, jump in his mouth, and teleport away to avoid that blast. You were standing right next to starting point! It just isn't physically possible!" Sakura accused.

"Sakura, we've been over this before. What you simply fail to understand is that I am beyond amazing." Sasuke laughed.

Sakura was about to respond when a terrible sound filled the air. It was an indescribable sound, like a cross between a demonic roar and a terrible ripping sound. They both recognized it instantly.

"Naruto used his new toy." Sasuke observed.

"Damn him!" Sakura growled. "I told him not to use it! It's too unstable, he can't control it yet!" The two time-travelers quickly took off towards the source of the sound. They arrived to find Naruto sitting back on the ground, his face ashen. His eyes were switching back and forth between the scroll on the ground and Kakashi.

Kakashi looked terrible. His body was covered in deep gashes, his breath was ragged, and his arms hung uselessly at his sides. The Jonin was hunched over, blood pouring from his wounds onto the jagged and torn up ground beneath him. At the sound of Sasuke and Sakura's arrival, Kakashi tiled his head just enough to see them. The two managed to get a clear look the Mangekyou Sharingan spinning in Kakashi's eye, before the Jonin collapsed to the ground.

Sakura immediately ran towards Kakashi's downed form and desperately began trying to heal him. Sasuke stormed over to Naruto and grabbed the scroll off the ground. He shoved it into the blonde's face and began shouting.

"What the hell were you thinking? This thing is way too dangerous to use properly! Why would you use this on Kakashi?"

Naruto slowly got to his feet, his voice shaky. "I… I needed someone who could use dimensional jutsu and Kakashi is the closest person. I know he doesn't have full control of his Mangekyou, but I was hoping the attack would force it out of him and it did!" Naruto's voice became excited. "You should have seen it! Kakashi's Kamui ripped straight the Distortion Wave! Besides, now he has the Mangekyou early and once he wakes up we can-"

Sakura's voice cut Naruto off. "He's not going to wake up." Sasuke and Naruto whipped their heads around to face Sakura. She was kneeling beside Kakashi and shaking her head slowly. "His body couldn't handle the strain of the Mangekyou. His heart exploded. There's nothing I can do."

Naruto and Sasuke rushed over towards Sakura. They didn't refute Sakura's claim. If she said someone was beyond help, then there was no hope for them. Instead they knelt down next to Sakura and stared down at Kakashi.

"I don't understand." Naruto said slowly. "We've seen Kakashi use the Mangekyou multiple times. Sure it takes a hard strain on his body, but it never killed him."

"Think about it." Sasuke said. "Kakashi never used the Mangekyou until at least a few years after the Sand-Sound Invasion. Up until that point, the Leaf has had many years of peace and prosperity, without any real battles or dangers."

Understanding dawned on Naruto. "Hubris. The village has been at peace for so long; even our best ninja have let their skills deteriorate. Kakashi didn't use the Mangekyou because he was physically incapable of doing it, not because he hadn't attained it."

Naruto's body slumped to the ground. "Oh… Oh god. I-I killed him. I let my damned curiosity get the better of me and I just killed Kakashi!"

Sakura wrapped her arms around Naruto. The blonde was becoming hysterical and getting mad at him wouldn't help matters. "It's alright, Naruto. You made a mistake. A big one, yes, but don't forget our situation. Thanks to the loops, Kakashi will be right as rain after the reset."

Naruto nodded slowly. "Yeah, it's not permanent. He'll be back to life after the reset." Naruto paused for a moment. "I'm going to have to do something to make up for this or I'll never be able to look at Kakashi again."

Sakura tightened her hug. "Tell you what, next loop we'll get deluxe author signed copies of Make-Out Paradise from Jiraiya and spend the rest of time bonding with Kakashi. No serious missions like the Land of Waves, just us, Kakashi, and maybe a few D-ranks on the side."

Naruto turned and gave Sakura a smile, thankful for her support. "That sounds really nice. I'd like that."

"I hate to interrupt," Sasuke said. "But we've got a dead Jonin on our hands. Do you want to call this loop a bust, or see where this takes us?"

Naruto thought for a moment before responding. "Might as well see where this goes. The worst they can do is have us executed." After Sasuke and Sakura both nodded in agreement, Naruto created a Shadow Clone and sent it to report to the Hokage.

With that done, Team 7 bowed their heads to mourn their teacher until the Hokage arrived.

Scene Break

Hiruzen Sarutobi took careful measure to ensure his face remained passive as Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were led into his office. The news that the three had killed their instructor had caused an uproar among the council. Sarutobi was forced to confine them to a holding cell for three days while he and the council deliberated on what to do.

Once the three were seated in front of him, Sarutobi began. "You three have caused quite a stir."

The three children all bowed at once. "Lord Hokage, we swear we didn't mean for this to happen." Naruto said solemnly.

Sarutobi's face remained neutral. "Be that as it may, there are some serious issues that must be addressed." The Hokage reached forward and pulled out a document emblazoned with the Uchiha clan symbol. "First and foremost is the matter of Kakashi's Sharingan. When Kakashi was your age, he had a teammate named Obito Uchiha. While on a mission, Kakashi lost his left eye and Obito was fatally wounded. Obito's dying wish was to have his Sharingan implanted into Kakashi, so he would have two functional eyes."

Sarutobi sighed slightly. "The Uchiha clan was furious that their bloodline had been attained by someone outside their clan. They demanded that Kakashi be executed and his eye returned to them." Sarutobi noticed that Sasuke fists were clenched and he appeared to be shaking in rage. Sarutobi feared he was angered over Kakashi's Sharingan just like his kin were. "Due to Kakashi excellent track record, an execution was overruled. However, the Uchiha clan took out what was essentially a Life Insurance Policy on Kakashi. Should he die, then the Uchiha clan has the right to decide what happens to the eye."

Sarutobi fixed his gaze at Sasuke. "This is a decision that would normally fall to the clan head; however you are the only Uchiha left in the village. As such, the decision is yours to make. Do you want Kakashi's Sharingan extracted?"

Sasuke violently shook his head back and forth. "The Uchiha lost the right to the eye once it was willingly passed on. The eye belongs to Kakashi and he deserves to be buried with it."

Sarutobi nodded, extremely pleased with Sasuke's decision, and quickly filled out the necessary information on the form. Once that was settled, Sarutobi pushed the form aside and grabbed a new one. "Now then, I've received Kakashi's autopsy. According to our mortician, Kakashi passed away due to extreme stress on his body that his heart simply couldn't handle. It's been decided that his death was simply an unfortunate case of overexertion as a result of training and use of his transplanted Sharingan. You three have broken no laws and will not be punished for it."

The three children relaxed slightly, prompting Sarutobi to continue. "That being said, there are still some consequences for your actions. I'll admit that this is an older law and one that hasn't been used in quite some time, but it still applies to your situation." Sarutobi opened a drawer on his desk and pulled out three Chunin vests. He placed them on the edge of his desk in front of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. "Congratulations, you three are officially promoted to Chunin."

The three in front of him stared at the vests in confusion for a moment before Sakura spoke. "Lord Hokage, I don't understand. We killed an ally, or at least our actions caused the death of one; shouldn't we be on probation or something of the like?"

Sarutobi leaned back and took a deep draw from his pipe before answering. "There are naturally dangers that come from training with ninja techniques. There are laws in place to ensure that injuring or even killing an ally during training won't be a crime, so long as it's confirmed that it wasn't done with malicious intent. Since Kakashi technically died of Heart Failure, it's been decided that you three didn't really kill him, so you won't be punished."

The Hokage gestured towards the vests. "As for the promotion, that relates to the law I was speaking of. It was used primarily during the wars, where improving and expanding our ranks was a top priority. Teams of Genin were often forced to battle against enemies of superior rank during war, so this law was made. In essence, it states that any team of genin that manages to kill an enemy Jonin are determined to be strong enough to become Chunin. It is essentially a loophole to promote ninja, since it so rarely happens."

Sarutobi took a deep puff of his pipe. "The exact wording of the Law is, 'any ninja of rank superior to Chunin' it doesn't actually specify the ninja being an enemy. A situation similar to yours occurred once during the war, a Genin team accidently killed their instructor. Losing a Jonin level ninja is a very serious problem during wartime. Rather than punish the team, and lose three extra ninja, we used this law to promote them to Chunin. As you said, Kakashi technically died as a result of your actions so we referred to this case as a precedent." Sarutobi left out the fact that the alternative would have the three stuck as Genin permanently. Without a teacher to recommend them, and no one would be willing to take them after killing Kakashi, they were ineligible to apply for the Chunin exams. Field promotion was still a possibility, but that required at least five years of experience as a Genin before it could happen. It was only Sarutobi arguing that keeping both last Uchiha and the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki as Genin was too heavy a loss that swayed the council.

The three slowly reached forward and took the Chunin vests. They got to their feet and bowed. "Thank you for this honor, Lord Hokage."

Sarutobi nodded. "As Chunin, you three can run C and B-rank missions alone. If you prove yourselves worthy, then you will be also allowed to run A-rank missions alone. You may also be called to participate in group missions, either as support for a Genin team or part of a Chunin team. Do you three understand?" He received three nods. "Very good. You three are dismissed."

Scene Break

"That was…unexpected." Sasuke said as the three newly minted Chunin sat in the training ground. Kakashi's body had been removed, the funeral having taken place while they were in captivity, and the damage caused by their test had been fixed as well. The three time-travelers had donned their Chunin vests and were contemplating what to do next.

"Tell me about it." Naruto said. "This is the fastest we've ever become Chunin." He paused slightly. "I still feel terrible about killing Kakashi. Even if he will be back, he was our first mentor."

Sakura nodded sadly. "He taught us to believe in ourselves. Even on the Wave mission, he believed in us and respected our opinions enough to carry on with the mission, even though it was a potentially fatal mission."

Sasuke wore a sad smile. "He taught us that clans, heritage, and bloodlines don't matter. He taught us that it's through hard work and effort that someone can become strong."

Naruto spoke. "Most of all, he taught us to work together with each other. Kakashi taught us that teamwork and friendship, more than anything, are what makes us strong."

The three remained silent for a moment before Naruto spoke, a small smile forming on his lips. "You know, for all the times Jiraiya badgered me about his books, Kakashi was the one who actually convinced me to sit down and read them. I was complaining about him reading such a stupid book in public when he suddenly asked if I had ever actually read Make-Out Paradise. When I said no, he pulled out the first volume, tossed it to me, and said 'If you haven't read it, then you have no right to complain about it. Read that and I'd love to discuss it with you, until then; keep quiet, I'm trying to read.'"

Sasuke and Sakura laughed slightly at Naruto's rather accurate impression of Kakashi. Naruto smirked. "I had to admit, I was surprised how well written the book was. Say what you want about Jiraiya's research methods, but those books are famous for a reason. I actually had a really nice couple of conversations with Kakashi about the book."

Sakura suddenly giggled. "Remember that time we all dyed our hair silver, got face masks, wore our headbands over our eyes and started acting like him? Kakashi couldn't tell if he was supposed to be insulted or flattered. I think the best part was when Gai felt upstaged by Kakashi having three clones, so he tried to get Tenten and Neji to dress up like him and Lee. Kakashi promised to never speak to us again if we created more clones of Gai by accident."

Sasuke wore a soft smile as he nodded in remembrance. "I'll still never forget the time we broke into Kakashi's house and stole every copy of Make-Out Paradise."

Naruto groaned. "Oh man, he was _furious_. He chased us all the way to Wind Country! I've never been so scared in all my life!"

Sasuke stared at Naruto incredulously. "You were scared? Imagine how I felt after you jammed one of the books down my shirt and fucking _tripped me_ before taking off and leaving me for dead." Naruto and Sakura couldn't help, laugh at the memory. The three continued to reminisce about their silver-haired teacher, sharing laughs and memories.

Scene Break

Naruto held open the door to the Hokage's office, allowing Sakura and Sasuke to enter ahead of him. Once all three were inside, they began their report on their latest mission. "Lord Hokage, the mission was a success. The Daimyo's advisor was returned to the palace safe and sound. There was an ambush along the way, but we were able to counter it with little difficulty."

The Hokage nodded while signing off on their paychecks for the mission. "Very good. Now, I'm afraid I have some bad news. Team 10 was sent on a C-rank mission to Wave country. It was supposed to be a simple escort mission; however the client omitted the fact that a very dangerous man wants him dead. Team 10 was attacked and one of their teammates was injured. They've requested back-up on their mission. I know your three just returned to the village, but I want you to leave immediately and support Team 10 until the mission is complete."

Team 7 traded quick glances with one another. They were well aware of what dangers awaited whatever team was chosen for the mission to the Land of Waves. They also knew that Team 10 wouldn't do well on their own. Naruto stepped forward. "Understood. We'll leave at once."

The three turned and quickly left the office. Once they were out of the tower, Team 7 took to the rooftops and sped towards the gate. A few quick words with Kotetsu and Izumo had them through the village gate and speeding towards The Land of Waves. On the way, they quickly discussed their plans.

"Gato is sure to hire Zabuza and Haku again, along with the Demon Brothers. Given that Asuma only called for minimal support, they must not have encountered Zabuza yet." Naruto said.

Sakura nodded in agreement. "I wonder who got injured. I doubt it was Asuma, so it must have been Ino, Shikamaru, or Choji. It's a good thing we got this mission. I doubt many other Chunin have the medical experience to counteract the Demon Brother's poisons."

Sasuke spoke up. "Let's assume the Demon Brothers are out of the picture for now. Asuma wouldn't let any enemy who injured his students get away. That still leaves Zabuza and Haku, who aren't to be underestimated, along with Gato and his thugs."

"What if we just killed Gato and stole his money?" Sakura asked. "We could pay Zabuza and Haku for their mission and they wouldn't have any reason to pursue Tazuna anymore."

Naruto thought for a moment, before shaking his head. "Zabuza may be a missing ninja, but he's a professional. He still has his standards and will complete a mission given to him, even if the client is dead. If Zabuza was that interested in money then he would just kill Gato himself."

Sasuke sighed. "Then Haku and Zabuza are our primary targets. Gato and his mercenaries aren't worth our time of day." He received two nods of agreement.

The three quickly came across the river where the bridge was being constructed. They barely broke stride, simply walking across the surface of the water. Once the river was crossed, they were able to make out the sounds of combat nearby.

"Sounds like the party's already started." Naruto grinned. "Let's go!"

As soon as they arrived on the battlefield, Team 7 could tell that the fight wasn't going well for Team 10. Shikamaru was passed out on the ground, his face unnaturally pale. Ino was standing guard over Tazuna, but the young girl was shaking like a leaf and looked ready to collapse at a moment's notice. Choji was attempting to fend off half a dozen water clones of Zabuza, but wasn't having much success. The overweight Genin's attacks were too slow to hit the clones and he was covered in gashes from Zabuza's blade.

Asuma was out on top of the lake and fighting with the real Zabuza. He wasn't doing well. Asuma's focus was on his team and he kept trying to reach the shore, but Zabuza wasn't letting him. The Jonin's Wind jutsu were a good match for Zabuza's Water jutsu, but Asuma was primarily a close range fighter with his trench knives. While Asuma was highly proficient at close range, Zabuza was one of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist, close combat was his specialty.

It was clear that if the fight continued on as is, then Team 10 would be killed.

Team 7 had been fighting together for a long time, they didn't need to verbally communicate in battle, and they already knew what to do. Sasuke immediately charged past the clones and out on the lake, his lightning jutsu were best suited to counter Zabuza's Water attacks. Naruto landed in front of Choji and began dispatching the water clones. Even after all these years, Naruto was the best at using clones and fighting multiple opponents at once. Sakura headed for Shikamaru and Choji, they were the most heavily damaged and would require healing.

Sakura landed next to Ino and Tazuna while shooting the two of them a quick smile. "Leaf Backup Squad reporting for duty." Tazuna was clearly relieved to have more ninja to help, though was slightly put off by Sakura's age. Ino said nothing, which confused Sakura. The pink-haired medic realized Ino was in shock, most likely from Zabuza's intimidation tactics. It always impressed Sakura how Zabuza could cause people to freeze with sheer presence. It was like... the desire or intent of a killer. There really should be a name for it.

Sakura pushed Ino and Zabuza out of her mind for the moment as she focused on Shikamaru. Like she had thought, Shikamaru was the one who had been injured by the Demon Brothers. Only a small amount of poison must have gotten into his bloodstream for the genin to stay upright for so long, but now it had spread. Sakura didn't have time to sanitize a kunai, so she used her chakra to form a medical scalpel and made a series of small cuts all across Shikamaru's body.

With that done, Sakura's hands became covered in green chakra and she began extracting the poison through the cuts. The toxin had spread too far in the Nara's body to remove from one place. Instead, Sakura needed multiple entry points to extract the deadly chemicals.

Choji plopped down on the ground next to her, causing Sakura to look up. The medic saw that Naruto had finished off the Water Clones and was heading out across the lake to help Sasuke and Asuma. Thinking about clones made Sakura realize she wasn't being efficient and created two shadow clones. One Shadow clone worked on closing Choji's various wounds and the other tried to get Ino out of her comatose state.

Ino quickly came around, only to be shocked again at seeing Sakura in a Chunin vest. "Sakura? What are you doing here?"

Sakura grinned. "You called for a support team. We're it."

Ino shook her head. "Asuma called for a team of Chunin. What are you doing here?"

Sakura could understand Ino's confusion. The fact that the three time-travelers had killed Kakashi had been mostly covered up. It would reflect badly on the Leaf if it got out that one of their best Jonin had been killed by children, no matter how skilled. While most of the Jonin knew the truth, the Chunin, Genin, and Civilians had been left out.

Sakura gestured to her vest. "Isn't it obvious, Ino? Naruto, Sasuke, and I are already Chunin."

"What?" Ino shouted in outrage.

Scene Break

Asuma cursed as he dodged another dragon made of water. This fight wasn't going well and if he didn't get back to his team, they could end up dying. What could he do?

"Thunder Style: Storm Slash!"

A giant claw made of electricity suddenly appeared over Zabuza's head. The Swordsman knew better then to retreat underwater from such a powerful electrical attack and dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the claws. The attack sank into the water and discharged a massive amount of electricity, which Asuma barely managed to dodge.

"Someone call for back up?" Sasuke asked as he walked up to Asuma. The Jonin gave Sasuke a look of disbelief. All the Chunin in the Leaf and _this _was the team the Hokage sent? Asuma would be having words with his father when he got back to the village.

As the waves caused by Sasuke's attack began to die down, a sigh could be heard. "More brats? The Leaf village must be in even worse shape than I thought if this is really the best they can offer." Zabuza came into view, completely unharmed with his large sword resting on his shoulder.

Sasuke frowned. "Zabuza Momoichi, A.K.A. The Demon of Mist. Former member of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist, now an A-rank Missing Ninja. He isn't someone I'd want to fight alone. I'm impressed you managed to last so long against him, Asuma."

Zabuza's hairless brow rose slightly. "Well, well, at least this brat has some respect for his elders." The shirtless missing ninja suddenly rushed forward, his oversized sword poised to strike. Sasuke knew better than to let Zabuza get in close.

"Thunder Style: Blast Wave!" A low wall of lightning rushed along the surface of the water towards Zabuza. The missing ninja easily leapt over the attack, which was exactly what Sasuke was hoping for. Asuma easily picked up on Sasuke's plan and launched a blade of wind at their opponent.

Zabuza, still in mid-air, formed a one-handed seal. "Water style: Geyser Escape!" A column of water erupted upwards beneath Zabuza. The skyward blast of water carried the swordsman out of harm's way and up into the air. Instead of dropping back into the lake, the water from the geyser formed into large orbs around the airborne missing ninja.

"Oh, Hell." Sasuke groaned.

"Water Style: Calamity Drop!" The giant spheres of liquid crashed down into the lake, causing massive waves to spread from the impact zone. Sasuke and Asuma desperately flipped and dived over the various waves and deluges of water. It was difficult to continue water walking when the lake surface was so tumulus, but retreating under water against some like Zabuza was suicide.

The lake surface began to calm, but Sasuke and Asuma realized that Zabuza was nowhere to be found. "Way to go, Sasuke. You took your eyes off of a _master assassin_ while fighting on his home turf. Smooth." Sasuke groused at himself.

Zabuza's deep voice floated over the surface of the lake, coming from all directions. "Poor little child, lost in a fight against a foe he has no chance against. Still, I think I'll do you a favor. I'll show you what the real world is like. I'll teach you what it truly means to be a ninja. It's going to be painful, but I consider it my duty to teach naïve little fools, such as you."

Sasuke and Asuma stood back to back, their eyes scanning the surrounding mist. "Can you get a lock on him?" Sasuke asked.

Asuma shook his head. "Stealth and assassination are Zabuza's specialty. If he wants to be hidden, we're not likely to find him. Can you guess where he's going to attack from?" Asuma wasn't going to let any personal hang-ups get in the way of working with a fellow Leaf ninja in the middle of a fight.

Sasuke growled. "There are so many places he could come from. Without being able to get behind us, he'll most likely try to get as close as possible before revealing himself to attack."

Naruto's voice suddenly rang out. "You're fighting a Mist ninja on top of a lake! Where do you _think_ he's going to attack from?"

Asuma and Sasuke's eyes widened. "Below!" They shouted at the same time. The two quickly leapt into the air, only just dodging Zabuza's sword, The Decapitator, as it erupted out of the water. The blade quickly retreated back beneath the surface as Zabuza realized the attack had failed.

Asuma and Sasuke landed back on the lake with Naruto joining them. "Sakura is watching over Tazuna and Team 10. Let's end this quickly."

Zabuza's voice once again came from all directions. "Do you think you can defeat me, brat? Do you know why they call me the Demon of the Mist?" To Zabuza's surprise, they did.

"You wandered into a graduating class and slaughtered all 100 students, proving your strength and that you deserved to be a ninja." Sasuke said.

Naruto laughed. "Funny story, we kind of had a similar situation. My teammates and I bypassed Genin and were immediately promoted to Chunin after we killed our Jonin instructor."

There was silence for a moment before the deep rumble of Zabuza's laughter reached their ears. "Well now, isn't that interesting? I didn't think Leaf had ninja like you. I don't suppose I could convince you and your teammate to join with me, could I? I could use people like you."

Naruto and Sasuke both stared at each other, surprised by the offer. The two of them legitimately considered the offer, curious about what it would be like to join Zabuza. The two decided against it. The time-travelers had a long standing rule that once they devoted their allegiance to a faction at the start of the loop, then they remained loyal until the reset. Naruto spoke. "Sorry, but we're ninja of the Leaf." A small smirk pulled at Naruto's lips. "But perhaps in another life we can join you."

Zabuza heaved a sigh. "Pity. Water Style: Aqua Vortex!" A liquid drill suddenly formed and flew towards the three Leaf ninja.

Asuma and Sasuke both jumped out of the way, but Naruto had a different plan. "Wind Style: Sea Splitter!" Wind Chakra enveloped the blonde's hands as he slammed them together. Naruto flipped himself forward and plunged his hand into the lake.

The result was incredible. Not only was Zabuza's drill attack split in half, but a gash nearly thirty feet wide split the entire surface of the lake all the way to the bottom. Zabuza found himself standing on a patch of wet earth with twin walls of water on either side of him. The missing ninja had seen many things in his life, but even he was stunned by this feat.

Asuma was likewise frozen in shock as he witnessed Naruto pull off a technique he would be hard pressed to match. Sasuke gave Asuma a light tap on the arm to gain the Jonin's attention. "Come on! Zabuza's out in the open and Naruto can only hold this for thirty seconds! We're not going to get a better shot!"

Professionalism quickly took over as pulled himself out of his shock and agreed. The two sped towards the gap while flashing through hand seals. They leapt out over the gap and launched their attacks.

"Wind Style: Cyclone Blitz!"

"Thunder Style: Thunder Cannon."

Zabuza saw the incoming attacks and quickly responded. The former Mist ninja leapt over Asuma's wind attack, which put him on a collision course with Sasuke's approaching orb of electricity. Zabuza whipped himself around and hurled his sword at the jutsu. The three Leaf ninja watched in shock as The Decapitator split Sasuke's jutsu in two, dissipating the attack.

"Ha! The blades of the Seven Swordsman are specifically crafted to resist Lighting Jutsu!" Zabuza crowed.

The spinning blade headed straight for Sasuke. At the speed it was moving, it would cleave him in half. Asuma reached out and yanked Sasuke's arm, hauling the Uchiha out of harm's way. Once Naruto was sure Sasuke was safe, he released his hold on the wind jutsu.

Zabuza was a powerful and resilient ninja and he was well versed in water techniques. All of that did nothing to help him when thousands upon thousands gallons of water smashed into him from both sides. Without Naruto's wind holding back the flow, the water crashed back down into the lakebed.

Sasuke and Asuma landed on the still choppy waters of the lake as Naruto quickly rushed over. Sasuke look up at Asuma. "Thanks for the save."

Asuma said nothing; his eyes were scanning the surface of the lake for Zabuza. The Jonin relaxed slightly when Zabuza's face-down form floated to the surface. Naruto and Sasuke followed his gaze and saw the prone body as well.

"Is he dead?" Naruto asked.

"Unlikely. He's probably just knocked out." Asuma said. The Jonin began walking forward. "We should finish him while he's-"

Asuma was cut off by a pair of senbon needles impacting with Zabuza's neck. All three turned to see a masked figure standing on the edge of the lake. The person bowed to them. "Thank you. I have been pursuing Zabuza for quite some time and you gave me the opportunity to finish him."

The person quickly Body Flickered to Zabuza's body. Now that the individual was close, they were able to get a good look at the Mist Hunter Nin mask covering the person's face. As the Hunter ninja bent down to pick up Zabuza, Sasuke suddenly spoke.

"Are you sure you killed him? Senbon in the neck usually aren't fatal." The ninja seemed surprised for a moment before replying.

"Very observant." The Hunter praised. Sasuke got the distinct impression she was smiling at him. "You're correct, senbon aren't usually deadly. However, my weapons are all coated in poison to ensure a fatality. I use senbon since they are hard to detect." The Hunter placed Zabuza's arm around her shoulder and hauled the body out of the water.

"Don't you only need the head?" Naruto asked.

The Hunter once more had an answer ready. "Ordinarily yes, but Zabuza Momoichi is a high priority target. In such cases, we're encouraged to recover the full body, if possible."

Naruto and Sasuke glanced at one another, uncertain of what to do. Haku played her part extremely well and they really didn't have any reason not to believe her story. The two time-travelers knew that there was no poison on Haku's weapons and that Zabuza was still alive, but didn't really have any solid evidence to act on it. With Asuma watching over them, they couldn't just act without proper evidence to justify it; otherwise Asuma would question how they had such information. The Jonin had enough reason to distrust them as it was.

So, Sasuke and Naruto could only watch as Haku vanished with Zabuza, knowing the two would soon return.

With the threat of Zabuza removed, Asuma turned to regard the two Chunin next to him. The two very powerful Chunin who had killed a comrade. Asuma had never been terribly close to Kakashi, but considered him a friend none the less. Honestly, Asuma didn't want them here. Leaving aside his own personal feeling towards them, they could very easily upset his team's dynamic.

Asuma was having a somewhat difficult time getting his team to work together, given Shikamaru's laziness and Ino's superior attitude. Throwing in a loudmouth blonde, a girl Ino often had shouting matches with, and the Uchiha heir who Ino had a crush on; could very easily see this mission fall apart.

Still, Asuma was a professional and he trusted his father's judgment, even if he didn't agree with it. There was little he could do at this point anyway, he had called for backup and it had arrived. Not to mention that Naruto and Sasuke had helped turn the tide of a battle Asuma wasn't sure he could win, so he decided to be civil. For now.

Naruto stepped forward. "Asuma, we should get back to your team and the client."

The bearded Jonin nodded in agreement and the three quickly made their way across the lake. Asuma's fears were confirmed when he saw Ino was already in an argument with Sakura. At least, Ino was talking at Sakura; the pink-haired girl was more focused on Shikamaru. The genin was lying on his back and staring up at the sky, his expression blank.

Once Sakura saw her teammates and Asuma approach she got to her feet and made her report. "Sir, Ino and the client are uninjured, though they were a bit shaken. Choji suffered a series of deep lacerations, but I managed to close them with little difficulty. The worst case was Shikamaru. Choji explained that Shikamaru was wounded when you were attacked and he suddenly collapsed. I believe that the enemies who attacked you had their weapons coated in poison. Due to only suffering a small scratch, Shikamaru remained outwardly unaffected, but the venom spread through his body, causing his collapse. I've managed to remove the toxin from his body and he should make a full recovery, but he'll be immobile for a day or two."

Asuma had to admit, he was impressed by the quick and thorough report on his team's health and at Sakura's apparent skills as a Medical Ninja. He was thankful to learn that his team was okay, Asuma had nearly had a heart attack when Shikamaru suddenly collapsed. "Thank you, Sakura."

Ino stepped forward, tired of being ignored. "Asuma, why is Sakura here? I thought we called for a team of Chunin as backup?"

Asuma sighed; this wasn't going to be pretty. "We did, Ino. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were promoted to Chunin shortly after graduating."

Ino's jaw dropped. She hadn't believed Sakura when she said she was a Chunin, now she couldn't refute it. "Who is there instructor? Why isn't he here?" Ino demanded.

"There instructor was Kakashi Hatake. He isn't here because he's dead."

Now Ino just felt confused. "I don't understand, how did they get promoted if their instructor is dead?"

Sakura decided to answer. "We got promoted _because_ our teacher is dead. We killed him during our examination."

Ino was now staring wide-eyed at Asuma, who confirmed Sakura's word with a nod. The young Yamanaka looked rather pale and was staring at Sakura as if she didn't recognize her. Sakura grimaced slightly. "It was an accident, Ino. We didn't mean for it to happen."

Choji, desperate to break the growing tension, turned to Asuma. "Wait a minute. Are you saying I don't have to participate in the Chunin exams? All I need to do to get promoted is kill you?"

Naruto laughed at that. "Yeah, good luck with that, Choji. We caught our instructor by surprise and his death was an accident, we didn't mean to kill him. That's the only reason we got promoted instead of put in prison. If it was as easy as slipping poison into a superior's food, everyone would do it. Besides, what has poor Asuma ever done to you?"

Despite himself, Asuma chuckled slightly. It seemed Naruto hadn't lost the bright personality he was known for. Even Ino was calming down slightly, so maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

Sasuke shook his head. "Not to get back on track, but we are on a mission here."

Asuma nodded in agreement and quickly composed himself. He explained to Team 7 the situation in Wave country and Gato's involvement in it. Naruto stroked his chin as he took it all in.

"Interesting. I've heard of Gato before. The man must have some deep pockets his he can afford to hire someone like Zabuza Momoichi." He mused.

Ino looked nervous. "Do you think we're going to encounter someone even stronger than him next?"

Asuma considered the question before shaking his head. "It's unlikely. Missing ninja, especially ones as powerful as Zabuza, aren't easy to come across. It's more than likely that Gato just stumbled across Zabuza by luck and hired him. We aren't likely to encounter anyone stronger than or even as strong as him again."

Ino relaxed while Sakura turned to Tazuna. "How far away is your home from here?"

The old man spluttered slightly as he was still trying to process everything he'd seen before being drawn into the conversation. "Uh, j-just a few hours from here."

Naruto turned to Asuma. "Asuma, you're the highest ranked ninja here and this is your mission, so my team and I will defer to you."

Asuma nodded in relief. He had been worried about how Team 7 would handle taking commands from him, but they appeared ready and willing to follow him. "Right, if we hurry, we can hopefully reach Tazuna's house by tonight. We'll need someone to carry Shikamaru."

Sakura pulled out a scroll marked as 'Medical Supplies'. She unraveled it and unsealed a stretcher. Two clones of Naruto popped into existence and gently place Shikamaru on the stretcher, before lifting the entire thing.

Asuma continued. "Very good. Now let's get moving."

As Asuma turned and began walking, Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. "Score!" The blonde shouted before suddenly taking off across the edge of the lake. Everyone watched in bemusement for a moment before they saw what Naruto was running towards.

Embedded into a tree was Zabuza's giant cleaver, The Decapitator. Naruto gleefully leapt into the air and grabbed the handle, easily tearing the weapon out of the bark. The grinning blonde ran back towards the group with the overly large sword slung over his shoulder.

"Finders keepers." He claimed.

Scene Break

Tsunami nearly dropped the plate she had been washing when she heard the front door open. Inari was already up in bed and she wasn't expecting anyone else. She felt fear creep up her spine, was it some of Gato goons?

"Tsunami! I'm home!" A voice called.

Tsunami nearly fainted with relief as she recognized her father's voice. She quickly entered the living room to greet him, only to stop at the sight of several strangely dressed children, including three blonde boys who appeared to be triplets.

Two of the triplets stepped forward and gave a shot bow before gesturing to another child on the stretcher they were holding. "We apologize for the intrusion, but our friend here was hurt and needs rest. Do you have a spare bedroom we could place him in?" Tsunami, not quite understanding what was going on, absently pointed up the stairs. "Thank you."

As the identical blondes headed up the stairs, Tsunami turned towards her father for an explanation. Tazuna rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment as he explained. "Ah, these are ninja from the Leaf Village who I hired to protect me. They've already saved my life twice. They're going to be staying here until the bridge is complete."

The raven-haired mother gasped upon hearing her father had almost been killed. She quickly bowed to the assembled ninja. "Thank you for protecting my father. We don't have much room here, but you all are welcome to stay."

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura stepped forward. "We appreciate your hospitality, but my team and I won't impose on you by staying here."

This surprised everyone. "Where are you intending to stay then?" Asuma asked.

Naruto shrugged. "This isn't our first mission outside the village. We have a tent and camping supplies with us, so we'll set up shop out in the woods."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Tazuna asked. Naruto gave him a withering look. "Right, sorry. Stupid question."

Naruto's wording suddenly registered with Ino. "Wait a minute. _A_ tent? As in, singular?"

Sakura spoke. "Yes, Ino. We sleep in the same tent. I promise you that there is nothing-"

Sasuke suddenly wrapped his arms around and pressed his body against hers, a devious smirk on his face. His voice came out in a low, seductive drawl that made Ino blush. "Oh Sakura, don't you think it's time we let them know about our relationship? Tell them about all the wonderfully naughty things we do to each other?" Sasuke leaned in and began kissing Sakura's neck.

Everyone was staring at the two, only to be distracted by a puff of smoke. A very pretty blonde girl with her hair in two long pig-tails stood in the place where Naruto was a moment before. The woman clutched both her hands over her heart, her face a grimace of pain. "Sasuke, you tramp! How could you? I thought what we had was special!" The girl burst into tears and ran out the front door.

Sasuke unwrapped himself from Sakura and began chasing after her. "Naruko, wait! Baby, I can change!" The Uchiha quickly vanished into the night after his blonde teammate, leaving several confused onlookers and Sakura with her face in her hands.

Sakura waved her hand in front of Ino's face to gain her attention. "As I was saying, there is nothing inappropriate going on between my teammates and I. We only have one tent simply because it's easier to carry. Disregard those two morons; they have no sense of timing. Speaking of which, I had better go find them before Naruko throws herself in a river or something." Sakura turned to Asuma. "We'll report back here in the morning for orders. If you need us for any reason, whistle loudly three times and we'll report back. Later."

Sakura turned and ran out the front door, leaving Tsunami to question Tazuna. "Dad, just what kind of ninja did you hire?"

Scene Break

Sakura found Naruto and Sasuke sitting around a small fire as clones finished setting up the camp. She sat down by the flames while shooting her teammates a dirty look. "Way to go, guys. We're probably going to get put on some kind of watch list the moment we get back."

Sasuke snickered. "Come on, it was just a joke."

"We're barely thirteen. We can't go around implying that we're all secretly boning each other. People take that kind of thing seriously!" Sakura insisted.

Sasuke's expression hardened. "We are _not _thirteen." Sasuke gestured to himself. "We're older than any person has a right to be. Who cares if I look like this, or this?" In a puff of smoke, Sasuke aged ten years. The now twenty-three year old continued. "My appearance doesn't matter. It's just another mask we wear. Even this form isn't close to my real age."

Sakura quickly mimicked Sasuke, transforming herself into an adult. "Sasuke, I'm just asking that you control yourself a bit more. Asuma is already wary of us and we don't need to give him fuel for his report to the Hokage. Also, would you please stop picking on Ino? You know she's sensitive at this age."

Sasuke snorted. "She's a brat." He said simply.

"She's a _child._" Sakura stressed.

"Even for her age, she's immature."

Sakura sighed "Was I any better, back in the beginning?" She asked.

Sasuke winced slightly. "Come on, Sakura. It's different with you. You're my friend and-"

"Answer the question, Sasuke." Sakura interrupted.

Sasuke grimaced. "No. No you weren't any better. In fact I would say you were a fair bit worse."

Sakura nodded in satisfaction. "You see? Ino is just a love-struck teenager. I know we like to mess with others outside of the loops, but getting your heart broken at that age can really affect a girl, especially on a dangerous mission like this. It may have been a joke, but people can take a joke too far. Remember what happened when we told everyone all three of us were getting married to each other and eloping at fourteen?"

Sasuke winced, his anger diminishing. "I didn't until you just reminded me. Dammit, I worked hard to repress that! I don't care if Anko has had training in psychology as the second in command of Torture and Interrogation, she should never be allowed to give the Talk to anyone! I've never felt so violated!"

Sasuke was suddenly smacked on the head with a stick. Sakura and Sasuke turned to see Naruto, age 98. His face was wrinkled, his head was bald, and he had a white beard down past his waist. Naruto waved a stick in front of him like it was cane. "You young whippersnappers! Running off and having sex while you're still children! Think you know better than everyone else. Back in _my_ daypeople waited until they were thirty-five to have sex and wouldn't even hold hands until twenty!"

The image of an aged Naruto impudently shaking a cane while complaining about youth was far too funny an image for Sakura and Sasuke to continue being angry at each other. Once Naruto was sure a fight wasn't going to break out, he shifted his age down to the mid-twenties.

Naruto cleared his throat. "Now then, we know Zabuza is still alive and he's going to be pissed when he finds out I have his sword. So we need to plan." Naruto idly patted his weapon pouch which contained the scroll he had sealed the Decapitator in.

Sakura spoke up first. "I think we should continue with our plan to deal with Zabuza and Haku. They're the real threats here."

Sasuke nodded his head. "I agree. Gato is an idiot with some cheap expendable labor. We can take him out whenever we want. Zabuza is heavily wounded right now. We should strike now while we only have to deal with Haku."

"The main issue is getting in close." Naruto mused. "Haku's a shrewd one. If she even gets a hint of danger, she'll have Zabuza out of there in a flash. No, we need a way to remove Zabuza from the picture without her interference." A smile formed on Naruto's face. "I have an idea. Here's my plan."

Scene Break

It would take several days until Team 7 could properly implement Naruto's plan, so they decided to lay low and support Team 10 until then. By the time the sun started rising for the day the campsite had been packed up and the three time-travelers were on their way towards Tazuna's house.

The three decided to let themselves in and simply sat against a wall while they waited for the others to awaken, enjoying the silence of the house. Tsunami was the first one downstairs, closely followed by Asuma. The two seemed slightly surprised by Team 7's presence, but said nothing. While Tsunami began preparing breakfast, Asuma headed outside to smoke a cigarette.

The rest of Team 10 slowly trickled downstairs. Shikamaru seemed a tad unsteady on his feet, but was otherwise fine. By the time Tazuna came downstairs, Tsunami had finished breakfast and everyone sat around the table to begin eating.

Sasuke decided to get the awkwardness over with quickly. "Listen Ino, I apologize for my behavior the other night. I was just messing around."

Naruto quickly nodded. "Yeah, same here."

Ino glanced back and forth between Sasuke and Sakura for a moment. "So, you two aren't dating?"

Sasuke shook his head. "No, we're not." Sasuke suddenly turned towards Sakura. "Unless you want to?"

Sakura laughed and patted Sasuke on the head. "Sorry, but I'm more woman than you can handle."

Ino's jaw had dropped at Sakura's casual dismissal of Sasuke asking her out. She couldn't believe it. Sasuke turned his attention back to Ino. "In all seriousness, I'm just not interested in dating, especially not while we're away from the village and being targeted by some short businessman with a chip on his shoulder." There. That should keep Ino from pestering him for a date, at least until the mission ended.

Naruto set down his bowl and turned to Asuma. "On that note, what is our game plan for the rest of the mission?"

Asuma leaned back and considered the question. "I'll have my team following and protecting Tazuna. I want you three to alternate between watching the house and monitoring the bridge in case it gets attacked."

Sasuke arched a brow. "What about training? Don't you think you and your team should take the time to prepare for another attack? Gato could have more ninja available, even if they aren't at Zabuza's level." The three had realized that by pointing out the flaws in Haku's take down of Zabuza, they had given her a chance to explain them away. Meaning Asuma now had no reason to assume that Zabuza was alive.

Asuma shook his head. "We're fine the way we are. My team is strong enough."

Sakura glanced at her friends. "Um, with all due respect sir, if we hadn't intervened then you would have lost that fight with Zabuza."

"Excuse me, Forehead?" Ino asked, returning to her regular demeanor as she argued with her rival. "Are you saying I'm weak?"

Sakura sighed. "Ino, I'm trying to be realistic here. Shikamaru was down, you were nearly catatonic, and Choji was trying his best, but was clearly out of his league. Zabuza was one of the Seven-Swordsman of the Mist and had the home field advantage out on the lake. Asuma wasn't likely to win that fight. I'm saying that if the fight had continued the way it was going, then Tazuna would be dead."

Ino was about to retort when Asuma cut her off. "Enough, Ino. Sakura is right. Zabuza got the drop on us and the fight wasn't going well." The bearded Jonin fixed his gaze on Team 7. "So you think Gato has other forces?"

Naruto spoke next. "I can guarantee a guy like Gato has some mercenaries working form him, probably a lot of them. If he can keep pretty much all of Wave country under his thumb, he must have some impressive man power backing him up." Tazuna quickly confirmed that Gato had a small army's worth of mercenaries working for him. They occasionally wandered around and caused mischief to remind everyone that Gato was in charge.

Asuma fiddled with his chopsticks before replying. "Mercenaries are hardly a match for trained ninja. Are you saying that my team can't even hand some thugs for hire?"

Naruto heaved a sigh. "A normal genin can handle a mercenary, but not if their grossly outnumbered. Besides, Ino and Shikamaru aren't well suited for fighting multiple opponents at once, assuming you're training them in the same style as their fathers. I don't mean to insult you or your teaching style, but until they reach the higher level techniques, the Ino-Shika-Cho style is detrimental to large scale combat."

"What does it matter? You're all going to die anyway."

Everyone at the table turned to see a young boy in a bucket hat, staring at them with slight scowl. Tsunami got to her feet. "Inari! Don't talk to our guests like that!"

The boy glanced at his mother for a moment, before pointing at the assembled ninja. "Mom, they're all gonna get killed." Ino was about to get to her feet, but Asuma placed a firm hand on her shoulder, keeping her in place.

Naruto leaned his elbow on the table as he regarded Inari. "What makes you think we're going to get killed? I have no intention of dying anytime soon."

Inari's scowl deepened. "You don't stand a chance against Gato. He's too powerful."

Naruto feigned confusion. "Powerful? Last I heard Gato is just a business man. I doubt he would be much in a fight. In fact I doubt he could hold his own in a thumb wrestle."

Inari's expression continued to get darker. "Gato has an entire army of mercenaries working for him and enough money that he can get away with anything he wants."

Sasuke pulled out a scroll and rolled it across the table. Everyone stared at him in confusion before Sasuke activated the seal on the scroll and a pile of money bigger than Inari appeared on the table. Everyone stared at the pile in amazement. Sasuke smirked. "If you want money, I've got money. My clan is very well off. I could probably buy and sell Gato's ass."

There was a sudden knock at the door. Sakura got to her feet and opened the door, revealing a shadow clone of Naruto. "Did someone order and army?" The clone asked before stepping aside, allowing everyone to gaze out at the hundreds upon hundreds of blonde clones.

Inari's jaw was on the floor, much to the amusement of the time-travelers. Naruto spoke. "So that's money and an army. I guess that makes us invincible." Naruto shook his head. "Gato is just a man. He may have a large amount of disposable income and labor, but we're ninja. We're trained to face impossible odds and come out on top. Worry about the bridge getting finished and we'll deal with Gato and his thugs."

Inari glared at Naruto. "You don't know anything! You think you're some kind of hero? Heroes don't exist!" He shouted before storming up the stairs. Tsunami made to go after him, but decided against it. She instead turned to regard her guests.

"I'm sorry about Inari. He…he lost someone very important to him when Gato took over." Tsunami proceeded to explain how Inari met Kaiza and how Gato had the man executed in front of the entire town. "No child should have to see that. Inari has never been the same since." Tsunami finished sadly. Naruto suddenly got to his feet and began walking up the stairs. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to talk to Inari." Tsunami moved to stop the blonde, only for Sakura to lightly grip her arm.

"Let him go." Sakura said. "Naruto lost his parents at a young age as well. If anyone can reach Inari, he can."

Naruto slowly walked down the hall way. He couldn't actually remember which room was Inari's, so he carefully listened for the sound of crying. Sure enough, the sound of muffled sobs emanated from one of the doors. Naruto cracked the door open and silently eased himself in. Inari was sitting on the windowsill, looking out over the ocean. A framed picture was clutched in his hands as tears fell on it.

Naruto silently crept forward until he could see the picture properly. It depicted a man with short hair, a cross shaped scar on his chin, and a broad smile. "So, is that Kaiza?"

Inari whipped around to face Naruto, his tear stained face quickly contorting into rage. Before the boy could yell, however, he found himself wrapped in a hug. "Tsunami told us what happened to Kaiza. I'm really sorry you had to experience that, but bottling things up isn't going to help. Want to talk about it?"

Inari pulled himself out of Naruto's embrace. The boy sniffed and wiped his nose. "What do you know?"

Naruto sighed and gazed out the window over the ocean. "I know that my parents died when I was just a baby." Naruto didn't see Inari's eyes widen. "I know that they, like Kaiza, gave their lives to defend their homes and their loved ones. I know that they are proof that heroes still exist in this world." Naruto turned and gave the boy a warm smile. "A hero is someone who is willing to give everything they have to protect what is precious to them. If a hero can die with a smile on their face, then they become something greater."

Inari's mind flashed to the smile Kaiza gave him before his execution. "What do they become?"

Naruto's smile widened slightly. "They become legends. Heroes get remembered kid, but legends never die. There isn't a single person in my village who doesn't know my father's name and I'm willing to bet the same could be said of Kaiza. He died to protect his family. He died to protect you. Don't you think you owe it to him to live on in his place, instead of wallowing in your own self misery?"

Inari felt new tears well in his eyes. Thoughts of how angry his father must be at him flashed through the young boys mind. Naruto's arm wrapped around Inari's shoulder. "Hey now, none of that." Naruto whispered. "You shouldn't think of your father with sorrow, instead you should remember him for the great man he was and the good times you spent together."

Inari turned to look at Naruto. "I don't understand. You say you lost your parents just like I did. How are you so strong?"

Naruto's eyes once again shifted to view the horizon, where the sun still rising over the ocean. "Frankly, being strong was the only option I had." Inari looked at Naruto in confusion, but the blonde didn't turn to look at him. "I'll tell you what, Inari. If you're willing to tell me your story, I'm willing to tell you mine. Why don't you tell me about how you met Kaiza."

"I…I don't know."

"Bottling your emotions up inside isn't good for you." Naruto gently chided. "Talk to me Inari. I'm always here for outcasts and strays."

Inari stared at the blonde for a moment before setting down the picture of Kaiza and wiping his eyes. Inari turned to look out over the ocean with the strange ninja next to him. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before beginning. "It all started when some bullies tried to take my dog from me."

Scene Break

Tazuna watched in amazement at the back up ninja from the Leaf continued construction on the bridge almost single handedly. There were several dozen versions of the blonde boy running around, mixing and pouring cement along with setting up the metal structure frames in their proper places. Tazuna had nearly fainted at the sight of the little pink-haired girl casually lifting a two-ton slab of stone and hauling it over her shoulder. She didn't even look like she was straining with it. The looks of shock on Team 10 told Tazuna that this wasn't normal, even by ninja standards. Sasuke was overlooking the entire project. His eyes could figure out distance and height at a glance without actually measuring, so he was guiding Sakura and Naruto in their work.

Asuma had questioned them using their abilities to speed up construction, but they had defended their actions by maintaining that their mission was to support Team 10. Since Team 10 was required to protect Tazuna until the bridge was finished, then the mission would end quicker if they helped with the bridge. Tazuna certainly wasn't complaining about the copious amounts of free labor. He had been worried about finishing the bridge as more and more workers left the project out of fear. Now he was certain the bridge would be finished in a matter of days.

It seemed Asuma decided against taking Team 7's advice about training to heart, as he and his team were currently lounging around the bridge with nothing to do, which Shikamaru thoroughly enjoyed. The time-travelers suspected Asuma's desire to hang around had more to do with keeping an eye on them rather than avoiding training.

The time travelers continued their work, while making sure to keep Asuma in the corner of their eyes. The plan to deal with Haku, Zabuza, and Gato would begin tomorrow and they needed to make sure that Asuma had no reason to suspect they had anything to do with it. That meant they had to stay with Team 10 for the next few days, to create an alibi.

Good thing they all were proficient with the Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Scene Break

Haku hummed to herself as she entered the clearing where she hoped to find the medical herbs she was looking for. The dark haired girl took the opportunity to wear something a bit more feminine then her usual attire, so was dressed in a loose pink kimono. Zabuza's apprentice was surprised when she found not only the herbs she was looking for, but a person asleep in the middle of the clearing.

Haku quickly recognized the figure as one of the Leaf ninja that showed up during her master's battle. The ice user silently made her towards the prone form until she was standing over it. Haku felt a moment of inner turmoil as she knew that an enemy in a vulnerable position should be eliminated, but she hated killing so very much. Deciding that the ninja wouldn't recognize her, there was no reason to fight, so she shook the person awake.

A pair of green eyes slowly opened. "You know you'll catch a cold from sleeping in the woods like this." Haku gently chided the pink-haired girl with a smile. Sakura slowly sat up, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

"Hmm, I was out training and I guess I lost track of time. Thank you for waking me, Ms…?" Sakura held out her hand, indicating Haku should finish.

"Haku. My name is Haku." She saw no reason to lie to Sakura about her gender, so let it slide.

Sakura smiled. "Nice to meet you, Haku. My name is Sakura Haruno."

"Charmed." Haku's eyes flickered up towards Sakura's headband. "Are you a ninja?"

The time-traveler nodded. "I am. A Chunin of the Leaf village. I was out here training when I fell asleep. What about you? What brings you to this neck of the woods?"

Haku gestured to her basket. "Someone close to me was recently injured. I am collecting medical herbs to help with the healing process."

"Would you like some help?" Sakura asked.

Haku smiled. "I'd love it."

The two females slowly set about, picking the necessary medical herbs around the clearing. They didn't talk much beyond Sakura offering to go with Haku and heal whoever was injured. Haku, naturally, respectfully declined, telling Sakura it wasn't serious and she couldn't impose on the ninja's time.

Eventually, the herbs were gathered and Haku broached the topic Sakura knew would inevitably come up. "Sakura, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"You're out here training to become stronger, correct?" Sakura nodded. "Why do you want to be strong?"

Sakura took a deep breath and tilted her head back, stareing up at the rays of sunlight peeking through the foliage. "I suppose… I want to be strong because I need to be." Haku seemed confused by Sakura's answer, so the Chunin continued. "I have two teammates, named Naruto and Sasuke. Those two are the most important people in the world to me, and I need to be strong for them."

Haku felt she understood. "They are precious to you and you wish to protect them?"

Sakura chewed on her lip before replying. "Yes and no. It's not so much a matter of protecting them, per se. They are very strong and are more than capable of holding their own in combat." Haku silently agreed, having watched Sakura's teammates turn the tide against Zabuza. "Really, I want to make sure I'm not a burden to them. I don't want to become a source of sorrow for them."

Haku tilted her head slightly. "I'm afraid I don't understand. If they are precious to you, how could you be burden or a 'source of sorrow?'"

Sakura sighed. "Drawing strength from someone precious is a two way street. You give support to them and give support to you in return." A grim smile appeared on Sakura's face. "But here's the rub, Haku. What happens when a person you care about is taken from you? What happens when that foundation you draw strength from is cruelly ripped away?"

Haku's eyes widened as she began to comprehend Sakura's words. The Leaf ninja continued on. "The joy you once felt from you relationship with that person turns to anger and bitterness. The love and light that person brought into your life gets replaced with hatred and darkness. I've seen it happen before, more times than I care to count, really. It's bad enough if the person simply dies, but if they are killed, or even worse, betray you in some way? Then what happens? The hatred and rage will consume you and you'll start looking for revenge."

Sakura's still wore the grim smile on her face as her eyes connected with Haku. "The only verdict is vengeance, a vendetta of valorous vice to vindicate the voracious violence." Sakura shook her head. "You asked why I want to be strong? I want to be strong, so my friends never have to mourn me. So my friends will never have to cry over my body while swearing revenge. One of the most painful things in the world is to lose someone you care about and I don't want my friends to experience that because of me."

Haku stared at the pink-haired girl in shock. The ice user was attempting to formulate a response when Sakura suddenly got to her feet. "Call it cynical if you will, but the world of ninja is cynical by definition. You should get these herbs back to your friend. Who knows what could happen if you lost him?"

Haku, shaken by Sakura's words, quickly got to her feet and left with the herbs, barely saying goodbye as she headed back towards Zabuza's. Sakura watched the raven-haired girl leave with a feeling of melancholy. "I'm sorry to turn your beliefs around on you like that, Haku, but you needed to hear it before you find Zabuza." She whispered.

There was a slight rustling of leaves and two soft thumps as Naruto and Sasuke dropped from trees next to Sakura. She glanced at them before returning her gaze to the retreating Haku. "Is it done?" She asked.

The two nodded. "It's done." Naruto sighed.

"Good. Let's get back to Tazuna's and replace our clones. We've got an alibi to establish."

Scene Break

Haku slowly approached Zabuza's shelter, still reeling from Sakura's words. Having her own personal philosophy turned on its head in such a dark way affected Haku more than it should have. She stood in front of door and took a moment to compose herself. It wouldn't do to show weakness right in front of Zabuza, especially when he needed her.

"Master Zabuza, I have returned and-" Haku froze in the doorway as a very familiar scent reached her nose; the scent of blood. Dropping her basket filled with herbs, Haku rushed through the fort towards Zabuza's room. She threw the door open, only to freeze in horror.

The room was mess, a battle having clearly taken place there. Blood covered the walls and most of the furniture was smashed. Haku barely noticed any of it. What drew her attention was the body of Zabuza lying on the ground with his head lying five feet away.

Haku's legs gave out and she collapsed to her knees. "No. Please, no." The ice maiden whispered. She slowly crawled towards her master, uncaring of the blood soaking her clothes. She reached out towards Zabuza's head, her hand hovering over his hair. "M-Master Zabuza."

Haku slowly picked up the head and held it against her chest. A scream of pain tore its way from Haku's throat. "Father!" She screamed, soon followed by sobs as the ice maiden clutched the head of the man she respected most. The man who had taken her in when no one else would. The man who gave her a purpose in life when she had none. The only family she had left.

Tears streamed down Haku's pale face as she sobbed into Zabuza's hair. "Why? Why did this happen? Who did this?" Haku's pitifully scanned the room, looking for an answer. Her eyes latched onto a piece of paper pinned to the wall by a knife.

'This is what happens to lowlife ninja who can't get the job done. –Gato'

Haku stared up at the note in disbelief. Slowly, the sorrow Haku felt drained away, to be replaced by rage. Rage against this short little man who _dared_ to take Haku's father away from her. The words from Sakura echoed in Haku's head as she slowly placed Zabuza's head on the ground. "Sakura, I think I understand now." She whispered.

First she needed to bury Zabuza. She owed him too much to simply leave him lying there like a piece of trash. Once that was completed, she would don her Shinobi attire and her mask then she would be paying a visit to a certain business man.

"Gato, there will be blood for this!"

Scene Break

Team 7 made sure to spend the next few days within plain sight of Asuma and his team. They're patience paid off while working on the bridge. A man came running up to Tazuna, shouting about big news. When the man finally caught his breath, he explained the news.

"Nagi was afraid he wouldn't have enough money to pay for Gato's taxes this month, so he headed to Gato's headquarters to plead for and extension so he could feed his family."

"What?" Tazuna roared. "Is he stupid? Gato has had men killed for less!"

The Wave resident nodded in agreement. "I know. We all tried to convince him not to go, but he went anyway. Less than an hour later, he comes charging back into town, screaming his head off. We thought he had pissed off Gato, but when he finally calmed down, he told us what he saw. You're not going to believe this, but someone attacked Gato's headquarters!"

This quickly drew the ninja into the conversation. "What do you mean attacked?" Asuma asked.

The man shook his head. "I didn't actually see it, but Nagi said the door was blown open and there were bodies of Gato's men everywhere."

Asuma turned to his team. "Shikamaru, Choji, Ino; you're to take Tazuna back to his house and stay there until I return. Naruto, I want you to use your Shadow Clones to spread out and monitor the rest of the town, the real you, along with Sasuke and Sakura; are coming with me to investigate. Tazuna, which way to Gato's?"

Once Tazuna pointed them in the right direction, the Jonin and three Chunin took off. As they sped through the tree branches, Sasuke spoke. "Asuma, what's our game plan here?"

"Strictly observation. We're to find out as much about this supposed attack as we can." The four fell into silence as they approached Gato's headquarters. They landed in front of the main entrance. Just as the man had said, the large doors were blown open and there were bodies everywhere.

Sakura bent down to examine a few of the corpses. "They were all killed pretty quickly, and all with senbon." Sakura stated. "This one took two through the eyes and into the brain, that one was stabbed in the heart, and that guy looks like his kidneys were used as a pincushion. I would estimate time of death being over 72 hours ago."

Asuma grimaced. "Definitely a professional assassin then. From the looks of the scuffle, along with there only being one form of weapon used, it looks like there was only one person." The four each looked into the large gaping entrance. The lights were all off and with the sun beginning to go down, they couldn't see very far inside.

"Orders, sir?" Naruto asked.

Asuma was quiet for a moment. "Let's proceed inside. Stay close and don't wander off by yourself. These people were killed a few days ago, but who knows who or what could still be inside. I'll take point and I want Sasuke watching our backs with his Sharingan."

"Yes sir."

The Leaf ninja began slowly moving through the compound. They found more and more bodies inside as they went. Occasionally one or two of them had been killed by a different weapon, but for the most part they were expertly killed with senbon.

"You would think this person would run out of needles after a while." Naruto mused.

Sasuke blinked as he started noticing something about the bodies. "Asuma." He called out. "These senbon are different form before. These are made of ice, not metal."

Asuma quickly bent down over a corpse and confirmed what Sasuke had seen. "Ice Senbon. Interesting. Not many ninja outside of Snow Country can use Ice Jutsu."

"A bloodline?" Sakura asked.

"Most likely. Let's keep moving."

As the moved deeper into the building, it became apparent that the attacker didn't much care the random henchmen and mercenaries. They were all killed quickly and cleanly, meaning the assassin had goal in mind as they moved through the compound.

They soon came across two large oak doors with a golden plaque that had Gato's name engraved on it. "Man, nothing but subtlety from this guy." Naruto murmured. Asuma told him to be quiet.

The four pressed themselves against the wall as Asuma leaned his arm forward to push the door open. When nothing happened, the Leaf ninja poked their head around to see into Gato's office. It became quickly apparent that this was what the assassin was after.

Gato, along with his two samurai body guards, were dead. Unlike the rest of mercenaries in the building, however, these were not quick deaths. The one eyed, shirtless body guard was missing an arm and his feet were completely frozen. His sword had been rammed straight through his mouth and into the wall behind him, pinning his body in an upright position. The smaller, hat wearing body guard had his stomach slashed open, his organ trailing out of his body and pinned to the floor with ice senbon.

They were lucky compared to Gato. The short business man had been crucified, upside down, to the wall behind his desk. Large knives made of ice, each over a foot long, were stabbed through his hands and feet. He had long slashes all over his body, which were pried open with smaller ice knives. It was very apparent by the pool of blood beneath him that he had been bled to death. Gato's head was nowhere to be seen.

"Good God." Asuma whispered. Even Team 7 was taken aback. They had expected Haku to be enraged by her Zabuza's death, but they hadn't expected her to be so vindictive, or creative. The girl had truly out done herself with this bloody display. Zabuza would be proud.

"Who could have done this?" Asuma questioned.

"Someone with a grudge against Gato?" Sasuke theorized. "Gato isn't exactly popular with people. It's possible he managed to piss off the wrong person. This had too much of a… personal touch to be a simple assassination. Maybe he killed a ninja's relative or something of the like?"

Asuma shook his head and quickly ushered the younger ninja out of the office. "It doesn't matter now. Gato is dead and it looks like his killer is long gone. We might as well let Wave know that their tyrant has been… taken care of." The three Chunin nodded in agreement and all four quickly left.

Scene Break

The party that had overtaken the town upon learning of Gato's death was still going strong. The entire town was jubilant to learn that the shadow hanging over their country was gone. It was with particular relish that they used the numerous funds found in Gato's compound that he had bled from Wave to fund this party.

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were currently high up in a tree, sitting against the trunk on some branches as they watched the town celebrate. They had some drinks pilfered from the party, non-alcoholic ones; none of them drank, and were enjoying the cool night breeze. "What do you think Haku will do?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke shrugged. "She might head to a major village like Mist, the rebellion would definitely accept her, or maybe Cloud village. I very much doubt she'll head to Leaf, Sand or Stone though. On the other hand, she might avoid villages all together. She's a smart girl and knows how to take care of herself. Besides, don't forget that Gato's personal safe had been emptied out. She'll have money to spare for quite some time."

Naruto sighed. "I wish we could do something for her. Especially since we're the ones who killed Zabuza."

"It would look too suspicious, Naruto." Sakura said. "We're not supposed to know anything about her, so if we seek her out and offer her a place in the Leaf, she might figure out we had something to do with Zabuza."

Naruto sighed again and raised his cup. "To Haku, may fortune find you in your travels." Sasuke and Sakura raised their cups in salute and drank.

Scene Break

With Gato gone, the workers returned en masse and the bridge was quickly finished. Team 7 decided to hang around to see the completion, since technically their mission didn't end until Team 10's did. The entire town showed up to congratulate Tazuna on completing the bridge.

"Thank you, everyone." Tazuna said as he addressed the crowd. "With this bridge completed and Gato gone, Wave can finally prosper. A lot of work and dedication has gone into this bridge, but it wouldn't have been possible without the ninja from the Leaf defending me from Gato's assassins." The two teams gave a slight wave as the crowd applauded them. "There is only one thing left. We need a name for this bridge."

Naruto raised his hand. "If I might make a suggestion?" Tazuna held out his hand, allowing Naruto to speak. "I would recommend calling it The Great Kaiza Bridge." Murmurs of approval emanated from the crowd at Naruto's suggestion.

Tazuna, a wide grin on his face, turned back to the crowd. "Well? What do you all think?" The crowd cheered in approval. "Then it's settled. Welcome to The Great Kaiza Bridge!" Everyone applauded.

With the ceremony done, the crowd was slowly dispersing and the Leaf ninja prepared to head home. Tazuna and his family managed to catch up with them before they all left. Tazuna spoke to Asuma. "I wanted to thank you again for staying with me even when you learned I lied about the mission. This entire project wouldn't have been possible without you. How can I ever repay you?"

Sasuke spoke before Asuma could. "You can pay for A-rank mission this actually turned out to be, for starters."

Tazuna chuckled. "That I'll do. Promise."

Inari suddenly stepped forward and looked up at Naruto. "You're really leaving?"

Naruto crouched down patted Inari on the head. "Afraid so, kiddo. We're ninja and there are always new missions waiting, so we've got to get home."

Inari hesitated for a moment. "I wanted to say thank you. For the bridge, for helping my grandfather, and for… well, everything. I'm not going to cry anymore. I'm going to learn to be a bridge builder like my grandpa and become a hero, just like him and my dad."

Naruto grinned. "That a boy. Just remember, this bridge is a sign that your father is something even more than a hero. Heroes get remembered,"

"But legends never die." Inari finished.

Naruto ruffled up Inari's hair. "You're going to be alright, Inari." Naruto got to his feet and turned to his friends. "Come on, guys. Let's go home.

Scene Break

With the Wave mission behind them, Team 7 spent the majority of their time within the village. They took an occasional mission out of the Leaf, but they stayed in house for the most part. Naruto wanted time to practice with The Decapitator. He had kept the famous sword sealed in a scroll for the entirety of the Wave mission; mainly because he was afraid that Haku would find out he had it. The ice maiden would have killed him on sight if she knew he had her Master's sword. Now that they were back within Leaf's walls, Naruto was eagerly spending his time learning the ins and outs of using such a large blade.

The main event on the horizon was the upcoming Chunin exams and, of course, the Invasion. Team 7, already having acquired Chunin rank, wasn't participating. This was far from the first time they hadn't attended the Chunin exams. The three had spent multiple loops deciding to bow out and focus on other tasks. Therefore, it was a bit of a surprise they got pulled into being three of Ibiki's watchdogs during the first exam.

Years and years of reliving experiences had taught Team 7 to appreciate small and simple differences. Even though you've lived through the same thing multiple times, didn't mean that you couldn't look at it with a different perspective or position. The three time-travelers had taken Ibiki's written exam so many times they could recite the questions and answers word for word. So it was an oddly refreshing experience to be sitting against the wall under the sunlight from the window instead of stuck at one of the desks.

Sakura's eyes roamed over the nervous Genin as they attempted to cheat. It was nice being able to see the entire room without having to turn around and risk being interpreted as cheating. Sakura's gaze met with Ino's for the third time since the test began. The blonde looked back at her test in embarrassment at having been caught again. The young mind walker was severely distracted by Sakura and Sasuke's presence as proctors. Sakura suppressed a sigh. The added pressure of having someone Ino considered a rival staring down at her from a position of authority was doing a better job of weighing on the young girl's mind than the actual test.

Sakura had a sinking suspicion that Ino wouldn't have the nerve to go through with the Tenth Question.

Sakura resumed monitoring the class of cheaters before her. She marked off a point from a Genin from Waterfall. He was manipulating moisture in the air to refract the light over his teammate's heads so the light would spell out the answers on their desk. An interesting technique, but a bit too obvious. Sakura had already caught him with it three times.

The pink-haired medic had contemplated whether or not to use her knowledge from the loops to mark applicants down. By now she knew pretty much every trick the applicants had, so even if she couldn't see it, she could mark it down. Sakura had decided against it, seeing as a few of the tricks were quite clever and subtle, she just had an unfair advantage.

Sakura glanced over towards where Sasuke and Naruto were sitting and resisted the urge to smack her forehead. The two of them were writing furiously, detracting points like crazy. Judging from the way they were barely looking up, they were clearly using knowledge from the loops to knock applicants out. Sakura was confused about why they were being so harsh, until she saw the two of them glare at each other and speed up their writing.

'Good Lord, they're competing to see who could disqualify the most Genin.' Sakura thought. She rubbed the bridge of her nose. 'God help me. There aren't going to be any teams left for Anko at this rate.'

Sure enough, by the time Ibiki rolled out the tenth question, the room was practically empty. Naruto and Sasuke were personally responsible for knocking out at least three quarters of the disqualified teams. Oddly enough, surviving the gauntlet of Naruto and Sasuke's combined assault seemed to embolden everyone who remained. Only one team bowed out once Ibiki had explained the Tenth Question. The remaining teams had decided they'd seen too many team fail to back down now.

Ibiki clearly noticed this and decided that dragging the tension out would be pointless. "Congratulations, you've passed the first exam." While The Head of Torture and Interrogation explained the actual rules of the exam, Sakura turned to look out the window.

Sure enough, Sakura saw Anko sitting on the roof of a nearby building. She was sitting atop her black introduction tarp like a blanket and was happily devouring some Dango, not a care in the world. The purple haired ninja finished off her snack and carelessly tossed the stick away. She got to her feet, did a few quick stretches, wrapped her tarp around herself, and took a running leap straight for the testing center.

Anko crashed in through the window, the resilient fabric of the tarp protecting her form getting cut by the glass shards. In an impressive display of athletics, she managed to flip herself around completely, launch two kunai attached to the tarp into the ceiling, and still land on her feet while striking a pose. "Hello, children! I'm your new proctor, Anko Mitarashi!"

The room was silent, save for the enthusiastic applause from Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. Anko, never one to feel ashamed of herself, gave a large theatric bow towards each member of Team 7. Once she straightened up and surveyed the room, her eyes widened.

"God damn Ibiki, you've still got it. There's barely more than a quarter of them left." Anko pouted. "Now there's hardly anyone left for me to play with. Oh well, I'll take what I can get. Come along children, it's time you see what new horrors await you." Anko turned and strode out of the room, laughing maniacally the whole way.

The students nervously followed the strange woman, leaving the room empty save for Ibiki and the rest of the Chunin. The examiners each unclipped their sheets and piled them on the front desk. Sakura confirmed with a quick glance that Naruto managed to come out ahead in his little competition with Sasuke. Ibiki said he would gather up the actual tests and the Chunin were all dismissed.

Scene Break

"Okay, so once chakra is used on all four of these points at once, the explosives with detonate." Naruto said as he gestured to the four points they had rigged to explode. The three were on the roof of the Kage box in the Chunin Stadium.

"Do you think this will work? These bombs aren't very big." Sakura asked.

Naruto shrugged. "Best we can do, I'm afraid. Any bigger and they're sure to be found. It won't be enough to kill any of the Sound Four once they use the Violent Flame Battle Encampment, but the blasts should distract and wound them enough for at least a few ANBU to get in and support the old man against Orochimaru."

The three time-travelers were taking the month break between the second and third exams to try out some tricks to turn the Invasion in the Leaf's favor as much as possible without getting directly involved. Going around and thrashing Jonin level enemies always attracted attention to them, and they were distrusted enough with the Kakashi incident hanging over their heads.

Sakura glanced down towards the empty arena. "I still can't believe that the village made this entire arena only for the Chunin exams and never uses it otherwise."

Sasuke shrugged. "It's a sign that the Leaf is so prosperous it can afford such a thing. When foreign ninja and dignitaries are in town, it's all about appearance. Besides, what else would you use this place for?"

Sakura scratched the back of her head. "I don't know, theater performances, maybe? This place could hold a lot of people and there is plenty of room for sets and the like."

Naruto clicked his tongue. "That's not a bad idea, actually. Maybe once the invasion ends and the Leaf has recovered, we can try pitching that to the Hokage. For now though, I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat. We've done enough prep for today."

Sakura arched a brow. "Don't you want to try and find Jiraiya?"

Naruto gave her a withering look. "Sure I do. I just haven't the slightest clue where to find him."

Sakura gave a sheepish grin as she realized Naruto was right. Jiraiya was impossible to locate if he didn't want to be found. Even with the knowledge from previous loops, the man could vanish without a trace in an instant. The only reason Naruto met Jiraiya the first time around was because the Sannin had been intending to introduce himself to Naruto anyway. When the Toad Sage had seen that Ebisu was teaching Naruto water walking, a skill worth knowing, he had decided to sit back and let the training commence. Jiraiya, ever the opportunist, took the time to peek on the woman's side of the hot spring, which is when Ebisu noticed him.

Naruto just shook his head. "I would like to find the pervert, but he can be as slippery as Orochimaru when he wants to be. It doesn't really matter. He'll find me, though I don't know when. It could be weeks before he decides to show. For now, let's go get some food."

Scene Break

Naruto was very pointedly ignoring the smug look his teammates were sending him. The three were seated inside Ichiraku's and the reason for Sasuke and Sakura's smugness was currently seated next to Naruto.

"Here's your order, sir." Ayame said.

"Thank you, my dear. Food always tastes better when served by a beautiful woman." Jiraiya praised.

Ayame simply smiled and returned to the kitchen to finish Team 7's orders. The Toad Sannin began eagerly wolfing down his ramen, paying no attention to the three Chunin next to him. Jiraiya had been seated in the stand by the time they had arrived. Naruto had actually tried to turn and leave at the sight of the large man sitting on a stool to save face, but Sasuke and Sakura wouldn't let him.

So, three Chunin sat in a small restaurant stall while a living legend ate next to them, apparently not giving them the time of day. Once their orders arrived, the three began eating. After a moment, Jiraiya elbowed Naruto lightly in the ribs.

"This stuff is pretty good, isn't it?" Jiraiya asked with a grin.

Naruto returned with a grin of his own. "Best in the entire Leaf village."

The Sannin stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Is that so? I'll have to eat here more often then." Jiraiya's gaze settled on the three before him. "So, are you three ninja?"

Rather than answer the rhetorical question, all three of them were wearing their headbands and jackets, Naruto responded with one of his own. "I don't know, are you Jiraiya of the Sannin?"

The white-haired ninja chuckled. "I see my reputation precedes me. I can tell by the jackets that you three are Chunin. Tell me, how'd you three get that rank? You all are pretty young and I don't remember seeing you among any of the recent Chunin hopefuls from the Leaf village."

Although they didn't show it, Team 7 became nervous. Jiraiya was fishing for information about the Kakashi incident. He had no doubt heard the official report, but Jiraiya's years as ninja and spy master had taught him that an official report meant nothing.

Naruto chose his words carefully. "There was an accident while we were training with our teacher, Kakashi. He overtaxed his body and suffered from heart failure." That was most certainly true, but no one knew about Kakashi's Mangekyou stopping his heart, or Naruto's Distortion Wave was the trigger. They didn't want it known that Naruto had such a dangerous weapon and was so knowledgeable about seals that he could create it. "We were promoted due to an older law that is rarely referenced, but was used as a precedent for our situation."

Jiraiya leaned back as he contemplated Naruto's words. "Ah yes, I heard about Kakashi passing away. It's a shame, he was a fine ninja. Makes me wonder how he could have been so careless as to over exhaust himself, especially if he was just training." The Toad Sannin's eyes slowly shifted over each member of Team 7.

It was only thanks to years of training in espionage, ironically taught to them by Jiraiya, which allowed Team 7 to avoid giving any signs of nervousness. Sasuke slowly took a deep sip of water before responding to Jiraiya. "We believe that it was caused by his transplanted Sharingan taking too much of his chakra."

Again, it was the truth, just not every part of it. The Mangekyou was supposed to be a secret aspect of the Sharingan, but the higher ups of the Leaf like Jiraiya and Sarutobi definitely knew about it. If they knew that Kakashi had activated his Mangekyou, that would naturally lead to questions about what sort of 'training' they had been doing that had caused the eye to activate. People would start asking questions about how skilled they were and where they got those skills. That almost always ended with them fleeing the village or ending up in an interrogation cell.

Jiraiya idly drummed his fingers on the counter while looking out the entrance towards the street. After a moment, he returned his gaze to Team 7. "So, does that mean you three are in the market for a new mentor?" He asked with a grin

Sakura spoke, slightly off put by the sudden change in subject and demeanor. "Are you offering?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "I'm in town for a while and I see potential in you three. I could show you a few neat little tricks."

Team 7 glanced at one another for a moment before Naruto responded. "In that case, we would be honored to have you teaching us, Lord Jiraiya." The blonde was eager for a chance to sign the Toad Summoning Contract again, as he was unable to summon after each reset.

The Sannin gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "Just Jiraiya, please. Now then, why don't you three meet me at the river near The Great Maw? Do you know where that is?" The three nodded, thinking of the large gorge that resembled a shark's jaw where Naruto first summoned Gamabunta before the loops began. "Good. Meet me there tomorrow." With that, the man threw some money on the counter (with a generous tip for Ayame) and strode out of the stand.

The three stared after the legendary ninja before they lost sight of him in the crowd. "Do you think he bought it?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto shook his head. "Not for a moment."

"He did offer to train us." Sakura reminded them.

"Probably so he can just keep an eye on us. I doubt he'll teach us really serious or useful until we prove ourselves to him. I probably won't even be able to weasel the Rasengan or the Toad Contract out of him."

"So what do we do?"

Naruto sighed. "For now, we stay the course. We prep for the Third Exam and get some training with Jiraiya on the side. The man is still one of the greatest ninja in the world; it's at least worth our time to learn under him."

Sasuke and Sakura nodded in agreement and the three finished their meals in silence.

Scene Break

The day of the Third Exam was bright and sunny, a beautiful day for a tournament and an invasion. Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto were sitting in the stands and staring down at the proceedings. There were only were only six genin in the arena. Between Naruto and Sasuke's efforts during the first exam and the Forest of Death, there were barely any teams left for the preliminaries.

Gaara was naturally among those participating, along with Temari. Surprisingly enough, it seems that Kankuro hadn't made the cut. Neji was there as well, though that didn't surprise Team 7. He was very skilled, if not currently well adjusted. Kiba was there with Akamaru bundled up in his jacket. The leader of the Sound Team, Dosu, was there as well. The biggest surprise was that Kabuto's energy draining teammate, Yoroi, was there as well.

"Man, who the hell lost to Yoroi?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura shrugged. "He's a pretty dirty fighter and his chakra draining technique can be dangerous if you either aren't prepared for it, or have large enough reserves." The three shared a chuckle at the memory of a time when Naruto had fought Yoroi in the preliminaries. Naruto had just stood there and let Yoroi use his Chakra Draining technique, as he was curious about the odd ability. After ten minutes with no sign of fatigue or strain on Naruto's part, Yoroi was actually filled with too much chakra to channel it properly and lost control of his technique. The boy had surrendered when he realized actually trying to use the massive amounts of chakra he had gained would flash fry his chakra coils. The entire time Naruto hadn't even taken his hands out of his pockets.

The first match of the exam began. It ended almost immediately, with Yoroi impacting with the far side of the stadium courtesy of a wind blast from Temari. She had seen Yoroi's Chakra Draining technique during the preliminaries and had no intention of letting him use it. The traitorous Leaf ninja had never even got close enough to spit at Temari, much less get in physical contact with her.

The next match lasted longer, but was similarly one sided. Kiba's best techniques involved him pumping up his reflexes along with his senses. The Inuzuka's hypersensitive ears proved to be a delicious target for Dosu's ultrasonic sound techniques and Kiba was quickly overwhelmed.

As Neji and Gaara took to the field, feathers began to rain down in the stadium. Team 7 quickly got to their feet and dispelled the sleeping illusion. "Alright, it's show time." Naruto declared.

Down in the arena, Neji managed to throw off the illusion, but found himself shocked by the sudden entrance of multiple Sand and Sound ninja. "What's going on?"

"The village is being invaded." Neji didn't need to turn to see three ninja, Chunin based on their uniforms, land beside him. Across the field, Gaara's sister and team leader, Baki, landed beside him. "Please fall back and help defend the citizens from the invading forces. Any one bearing a headband from Sound or Sand is to be considered an enemy and eliminated with extreme prejudice. We'll deal with these three."

Neji had longstanding grudge against the Main Branch of his house, but he was still a ninja of the Leaf. He wasn't about to disobey a superior in a crisis situation. "Understood." The Hyuuga quickly vacated.

Baki and Temari prepared for battle, but were surprised when Gaara stumbled forward. The genin's eyes were twitching as he stared at Sasuke. "You." He whispered. "Your eyes are like mine. I see the desolation and solitude within them." The red head suddenly winced and grabbed his head. "But there is something different, something else within your eyes. It makes me angry. It makes me want to kill you!"

Sasuke stepped forward. "I may have once carried the burden of isolation, but not anymore. I have my friends who saved me from that darkness. Their love for me gave me the strength to overcome that pain."

Gaara grabbed his head again and began shaking. "No. That's impossible. You can only gain strength through isolation; you cannot be strong by relying on others! You're lying!" Gaara snarled. He was rapidly losing control of his power; they needed to get him out of the village.

Sasuke smirked. "Think I'm lying, then why don't you come see how much stronger I am than you?"

Despite Baki and Temari's protest, Gaara shot forward to strike at Sasuke. The ground beneath Sasuke shattered as he channeled chakra to his feet and legs. Similar to if he used too much chakra while Tree Walking, the surface of the ground repulsed him. The added boost, along with the chakra in his legs, allowed Sasuke to leap up to the roof of the stadium. "Come and get me!" He taunted. Gaara howled in rage and quickly gave chase.

Baki and Temari clearly intended to follow Gaara, but Naruto and Sakura weren't about to let that happen. Baki was a master of wind techniques and could actually feel the differences and disturbances in the air around him to predict incoming attacks. He was therefore completely caught off guard when a thin stone pike shot up between his legs and penetrated all the way to his brain, killing him instantly.

For Naruto, he simply wrestled the heavy metal fan away from Temari and knocked her unconscious with it. She would likely have a concussion, but she would be out for a good while. With them dealt with, Naruto and Sakura took off after Sasuke and Gaara.

Scene Break

Sasuke managed to dodge an orb of condensed air that was fired at his head. Years of training with Naruto meant Sasuke was well versed in predicting and avoiding wind techniques. He was less prepared for the large brown and blue claw that smashed through a tree trunk to grab him.

Sasuke kick flipped off the claw and sprung off the arm to gain some distance. He landed on a nearby tree branch and prepared himself to fight. They were far away enough from the village that he could focus on the monstrosity before him. Gaara was well on his way to releasing his Bijuu, his entire body already resembled a demonic raccoon.

The Jinchuuriki smirked, revealing razor sharp teeth. "Finally done running? Good. Now it's time to make me feel alive!" Gaara's overly long limbs gripped the branch he was standing on and flung himself at Sasuke.

The Uchiha allowed himself to fall backwards, his feet sliding along the surface of the tree branch. Sasuke stood upside down on the bottom of the branch and allowed Gaara to fly over him. Sasuke quickly sped through hand seals and launched a jutsu. "Thunder Style: Destructo Disk!"

Two thin spinning blades of electricity shot out towards the trees. Sasuke didn't bother actually firing at Gaara, the demonic sand covering his body was too efficient at disrupting electricity. Only Sasuke most powerful piercing attacks could actually penetrate Gaara's hide. Instead, the twin electric disk carved their way through the trunks of several trees.

Gaara had landed on another branch and had turned himself around, intent on attacking Sasuke. The sand ninja failed to look upward, so was unprepared for several tree trunks to collapse on top of him. Gaara howled in pain and surprise as he was dragged to the ground by the heavy logs.

The branch Sasuke was hanging upside down on vibrated slightly, indicating someone had landed on top of it. "Not bad at all, Sasuke." Naruto complimented. "It won't hold him for long, though." Sure enough, the pile of logs was suddenly blown away as Gaara freed himself. The crazed ninja's golden eyes latched onto Team 7. He roared and launched himself through the air.

"Scatter! Keep him guessing!" Naruto commanded. Sakura and Naruto leapt of the branch in opposite directions while Sasuke simply stopped channeling chakra to his feet and allowed himself to drop. Over three hundred pounds of malevolent Sand crashed into the now vacant branch, turning it into splinters. Gaara hesitated, as he wasn't sure who to go after first, giving Naruto an opportunity to attack.

"Wind Style: Air Horn!" Naruto's hand was surrounded by a spinning drill of wind. The blonde thrust his fist towards Gaara and launched the attack. Gaara raised one of his massive claws to block the drill, only to recoil in horror at the sight of the drill digging through his Sand. He quickly slapped the attack out of the way and focused his gaze on Naruto, now considering the blonde the most serious threat. This was exactly what they wanted.

Before Gaara could attack Naruto, Sakura appeared over the Sand Ninja's head. Held above Sakura's head was one of the large tree trunks Sasuke had knocked down earlier. Sakura's hands were sunken into the wood to gain a decent grip as she used her super strength to rear the log back. "Batter up!" Sakura slammed the oversized club down on Gaara's head. The branch Gaara was standing on gave way under the sudden pressure and Gaara dropped with it.

Sakura lifted the log again, only for Gaara's arm to shoot up and his claw to wrap around her torso. "I'll crush you!" The raccoon screamed.

The sound of hundreds upon hundreds of birds chirping filled the area as Sasuke shot out from behind a tree. Sasuke attempted to take off Gaara's head with his Thousand Birds technique, but the sound gave him away and Gaara swatted Sasuke away with his tail. The attack wasn't in vain, however, as Sasuke managed to wildly fling his arm out and score a long slash along Gaara's torso. This gave Sakura time to pry the herself free and Naruto time to get in close while Gaara was distracted.

Naruto's hands were a blur as he planted explosive notes along the rapidly closing wound in Gaara's chest before the deranged raccoon smashed his arm into Naruto's side. The blond was sent flying backwards and impacted painfully with the trunk of a tree, but it proved to be to his advantage as the explosive quickly detonated.

The blast was tremendous, Gaara was incased in layers upon layers of reinforced sand, so it wasn't enough to actually kill him. It did, however, succeed in peeling away most of the sand surrounding the Jinchuuriki and he now resembled a melting clay statue of a raccoon. Gaara's breath came out in ragged gasps as he struggled back to his feet, his sand slowly reforming on his body.

"You… I'm going to-" Whatever Gaara had been about to say was cut off by Sakura flinging the tree trunk towards him. The Jinchuuriki was too damaged to evade and the log slammed into his chest like a battering ram, sending him flying backwards into another tree.

Gaara growled and gnashed his teeth, too angry and injured to actually form coherent words, as he desperately struggled to remove the log pinning him to the tree trunk. Sasuke wasn't about to let that happen and moved in for the kill. With another Thousand Birds technique charged and ready, Sasuke sped along the log towards Gaara.

The Sand Ninja's eyes widened in horror at Sasuke's approach. "N-No!" he screamed before Sasuke hand thrust clean through the sand, his neck, and the trunk behind him. There was a tense moment of silence before the sand finally stopped moving and Gaara went limp.

Sighing in relief, Sasuke withdrew his hand and dispelled the technique. The Uchiha held his wrist while staring down at his hand with a small smile. "Thanks again, Kakashi." He whispered. "That technique is a life-saver."

Sasuke quickly made his way up to where Sakura and Naruto were standing. Naruto had mild concussion from his impact with the trunk and it seemed like Gaara's claw broke a few of Sakura's ribs, but the medic ninja was already close to finishing healing both injuries. Once both were fully healed, Naruto spoke.

"Let's get back to the village and… and…oh no." Naruto slowly trailed off in horror, his eyes locked on the forest floor below. Sasuke and Sakura followed his gaze and were shocked to see that Gaara's sand was beginning to rise up towards the sky. For a moment they thought the Jinchuuriki was still alive, but that was quickly dispelled when the sand left behind Gaara's body on the forest floor and continued its ascent.

A growing sense of dread filled all three of them as the sand began to take on a very familiar shape. It was very similar to Gaara's previous form, only much, much larger. An impossibly huge tail began to sway back and forth as an enormous pair of jaws opened wide and let loose a roar of triumph.

The Shukaku was free.

Team 7 stared up at the behemoth in shock before Sakura managed to find her voice. "What the hell do we do?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "We have to stop it, if that thing reaches the village, it will turn the entire tide of the Invasion."

"How do you propose we stop an unbound Bijuu?" Sasuke demanded.

"I don't know! Let me think!"

"Couldn't we use the seals you created to bind the Kyuubi's power? They would work on Shukaku, right?" Sakura suggested, pulling said seals out of her weapon pouch.

Naruto shook his head. "The seals are designed to work with a Jinchuuriki's seal and force the Bijuu back into the cage. Without an actual Jinchuuriki to seal the beast back into, they're worthless." Naruto cursed as the Shukaku began moving. It seemed to be gaining control of itself and was no doubt attracted by the sounds of battle coming from the village.

"We don't have any other options. We have to seal it again." Sakura declared.

"Again, how?" Sasuke demanded.

Sakura took a deep breath. "How else? With the Reaper Death Seal."

Naruto's eyes latched onto Sakura as he realized what her plan was. "Are you sure, Sakura? I've studied the technique, but I've never actually performed it. If this backfires, it could cost us our souls. I'm not sure even the resets can allow us to escape the Death God's Stomach."

Sakura placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I trust you, Naruto. I know you can do it."

Naruto slowly nodded, his resolve hardening now that a plan was in place. "Alright, alright, I'm going to need time to properly prepare. Sakura, you're with me. Sasuke," Naruto wore a pained expression on his face. "I need you to hold off the Shukaku while Sakura and I make the preparations.

Sasuke stared at his friend incredulously. "Hold it off? How the hell do you expect me to do that? I haven't signed any summoning contracts this loop."

"I know, Sasuke and I'm sorry. It's the only option we have."

Sasuke grimaced as he realized just what Naruto was talking about. "Okay, I'll do it. You two had better hurry though. I'm not going to last very long against that thing."

Naruto nodded. "We will. Give him hell, Sasuke." Sasuke quickly embraced Naruto and Sakura before turning and speeding off to intercept the Shukaku. Naruto turned to Sakura, his expression grave. "Let's roll."

Scene Break

Sasuke stood atop a tall tree, overlooking the forest and the approaching monstrosity as well. Sasuke noted that the Shukaku was rather slow for its size, barely plodding along with small steps. Though it still made progress through the forest given the size of the beast, Sasuke filed the information away; he would need every advantage he could get.

Sasuke closed his eyes and formed the ram seal with his hands. He took a deep breath and called upon the greatest of Sharingan techniques. Sasuke's eyes shot open, revealing his Mangekyou Sharingan, and his body became consumed in purple chakra. Not the deep, dark purple granted through Orochimaru's curse mark, but a lighter, violet shade.

The violet aura surrounding Sasuke expanded and the Chakra began taking physical form. The ribcage formed first, wrapping around Sasuke like a protective cage. The arms and upper body came next. Large skeletal appendages made of pure chakra and covered by the violet aura came into existence. The left arm only held a single appendage while the right held two. Two separate forearms split off from each other, both connected at the elbow, both ending in six-fingered hands. The Lower body and legs soon formed as well, as skeletal as the rest of the creation. With legs to stand on, Sasuke felt himself being lifted into the air as the ribcage rose, but he paid it no mind, he had to focus. Once the entirety of the body was formed, the head came into existence. A hollow skull with metallic plates screwed into place formed. Two small horns adorned the top of the skull and the empty eye sockets glowed with an unholy yellow light. Even then Sasuke pumped more and more Chakra into his creation, urging it to grow. The previously twenty foot tall skeleton began growing and growing until it stood at eye level with the Shukaku, violet Chakra surrounding the entire body.

Sasuke finally lowered his hands and admired his work. It was the third level of the Mangekyou Sharingan and one of the strongest techniques known to Uchiha. It was primarily made to be used as a guardian that protected its user, but Sasuke didn't need a protector, he needed a warrior. Sasuke floated in the skeleton's ribcage, staring out at the bemused Shukaku. "Susanoo, God of Valor, lend me your might." Sasuke whispered.

The Shukaku had been making its way towards the sounds of destruction and battle, when this violet creation suddenly appeared in its path. "**Well, what do we have here?"** The Bijuu asked, its voice oddly distorted. "**I barely get out of my cage and already someone steps up to be slaughtered. Todays a good day! Here I come!" **The demon took a deep breath, its stomach expanding. **"Wind Style: Air Bullets!"** The Bijuu slammed its arm into its own stomach, forcing the air attack out of its jaw.

Sasuke urged Susanoo forward and the guardian obeyed. The violet skeleton charged forward, its feet tearing up the trees as it ran. The wind bullets impacted, but rather than try to absorb the blow, Sasuke used Susanoo's open frame to his advantage. He weakened the violet aura that acted as a barrier around Susanoo and allowed the wind bullets to simply slip through the skeletal body without breaking stride.

Now that he was close enough to attack, Sasuke reinforced the protective aura and summoned a weapon. A long sword made of chakra appeared in Susanoo's left arm. The weapon was basic and inelegant, but it was a weapon. Sasuke bellowed as Susanoo swung the blade into the Shukaku's leg. Sasuke had no chance of actually defeating a free Bijuu; instead he was focusing solely on deliberating attacks. The conjured blade sunk into Shukaku's leg, severing the appendage.

Shukaku howled in rage and swung its claw at the construct. Sasuke managed to get Susanoo to duck under the swing, but was completely unprepared for the sand demon to whip around and nail Sasuke with its tail.

Sasuke screamed in pain as the Susanoo was sent flying. The God of Valor crashed into the ground, skidding to a halt and leveling acres worth of forest. Sasuke felt as if every cell of his body was attempting to tear themselves apart. Strong the Susanoo may be, but it came with a heavy price. Sasuke knew his eyes were bleeding and he could literally feel his regular eyesight leaving him. The Mangekyou naturally eroded a Sharingan user's eyesight, first their regular eyes, then their Sharingan, until the Uchiha was left blind. Susanoo especially drained away a user's eyesight.

Sasuke didn't give these facts any thought as he commanded the Susanoo back to its feet. His friends were counting on him and he wasn't going to let a little blindness get in his way. For the time being, he could still see fine and that was enough. Sasuke concentrated on repairing the damage done by Shukaku's tail, the shattered bone fragments reforming.

Sasuke urged Susanoo to charge again, hoping to overcome the Shukaku through superior speed. This time, instead of attacking head on, the God of Valor leapt into the air above the sand demons head. Two swords formed in each of Susanoo's right hands and Sasuke slammed them down into the One-tails eyes.

The beast howled as the chakra blades plunged through its eye sockets and out through its head. Technically, the beast was only composed of sand and could thus reform itself, but it would have to pull out the chakra blades first. It was therefore blind as long at the blade remained lodged in its head and that bought Sasuke some time.

Susanoo planted its feet on Shukaku's broad back and used it to springboard over the demon. The beast was still raging, trying to wildly flail about and hit Sasuke. Shukaku seemed to realize that it needed its eyes, so it became still while trying to remove the offending blades.

This was what Sasuke had been hoping for. While the Bijuu was distracted, Susanoo shot forward and wrapped its skeletal arms around Shukaku's tail. Sasuke bellowed as he commanded Susanoo to pull hard on the tail. Shukaku let out a yelp as it was pulled off its feet. Susanoo spun the creature around like demonic pinwheel before releasing the tail.

The Shukaku was flung through the air, away from the village. Due to the beast's immense weight, it didn't travel very far, but every step away from the Leaf counted. Sasuke took a moment to catch his breath. His eyes were still bleeding and the strain of maintaining Susanoo in such a large form was beginning to take its toll. His skin was beginning to rip open in several places along his body and Sasuke was losing blood and chakra fast. On top of that, Shukaku's powers were only increasing as the Bijuu became used to being free. Sasuke couldn't keep this up.

The sound of Shukaku's voice brought Sasuke back to reality. **"You're definitely strong, but I'll show just how strong I am!"** Sasuke cursed as he realized that all the damage he had managed to do was gone and the Shukaku was whole again. The beast raised both its hands above its head and slammed them into the ground. **"Wasteland Tremors!"**

Twin jets of sand erupted from the ground and sped towards Sasuke. He tried to dodge, but the attack was too fast. The burst of sand crashed into Susanoo and severed both arms from the construct. Sasuke grunted in pain as Susanoo was thrown off its feet from the impact, but before he could reconstruct the arms and get to his feet, Shukaku planted both claws on the ground and bent forward. The beast's jaw opened impossibly wide as a black orb began forming within its maw.

Sasuke felt his blood turn to ice as he recognized the technique. The Bijuu Ball; the ultimate attack of the tail beasts. Sasuke desperately attempted to get Susanoo to its feet while panicking about what to do. The demonic technique would wipe him and the Susanoo out if it hit him, but if he dodged, he ran the risk of the blast landing in the village behind him.

Fortunately for Sasuke, Naruto had finished his preparations.

"Uzumaki Style: Chakra Chains!" Large golden chains suddenly erupted from the trees and wrapped themselves around Shukaku's arms. The Bijuu tried to pull its arms free, but more and more chains emerged and wrapped around the beast's legs, tail, body and head; completely restraining it.

"**What's going on?" **Shukaku demanded as the Bijuu Ball faded away. Sasuke sighed with relief and allowed Susanoo to fade. The Uchiha dropped down into the trees, only barely managing to avoid killing himself from the fall. Sasuke landed on the ground and immediately collapsed.

"Sorry, guys. Looks like that's all I've got. Good luck." With that, Sasuke's Sharingan deactivated and his world went dark.

Scene Break

Naruto looked upward through the tree line at the One-Tailed Demon. Once he was sure that Shukaku was restrained by his Chakra chains, he turned to Sakura. The pink haired girl was kneeling in the center of a complex sealing array. Her body was covered in similar seals that spread from a central point on her stomach. She was loosely wrapped in smaller versions of Naruto's chakra chains and already Shukaku's power was being channeled into her body.

"Are you ready?" Naruto asked. Sakura nodded. "Alright, here we go." Naruto nodded to a Shadow Clone who was standing over a kneeling Sound ninja. The clone leaned down and whispered into the masked man's ear. The Sound Jonin nodded and got to his feet. He began forming seals to activate the jutsu.

The man had been placed under an illusion by Sakura earlier after one of Naruto's clones dragged him towards their sealing array. The man was slowly fed Naruto's chakra to boost his reserves and was given strict instruction on what jutsu to perform and how to perform it. Naruto and Sakura were hoping to avoid actually being devoured by the Death God by using the man as a proxy. The sealing array, the chains, and preparations were all done by Naruto, but the Death God would be summoned by the Sound ninja and it would be his soul used to finish the seal.

The Sound Jonin finished the jutsu and Naruto felt a cold sense of dread wash over him. Though the blonde couldn't see it, he was certain he was now in the presence of the God of the Dead. Swallowing his fear, Naruto commanded the Sound ninja to reach out and grab the single chain hanging in front of him. This singular chain connected the ones binding Shukaku and the ones hanging off Sakura. Naruto intended to use it as a conduit to ship the Demon straight into Sakura.

"Here we go! Dead Demon Consuming Seal!" Invisible to Naruto or Sakura, the Death God began chanting as he wrapped prayer beads around his arm. The being plunged his arm into the soul effigy before him, the arm emerging from the Sound Jonin's stomach and grabbing the chain.

Shukaku, now able to feel the Death God's presence, began wailing in fear as it felt its soul and power being drained away. The gigantic form of Shukaku began to crack and fall apart as the demonic being was sucked away leaving only sand.

As the Death God worked to drain the Shukaku from one form and place it into another, he allowed his eyes to gaze upon the two who had summoned him. The boy was easily recognizable as the last being the Death God had been in contact with when he was last summoned to this plane. The being found it strange how the boy was now using the Death God's power to perform the same sealing technique done on him as a child.

The God of the Dead's eyes shifted to the pink-haired girl, the new vessel he was placing the demon into. The being contemplated taking her soul as payment. They had been clever in using a proxy and the Death God would certainly devour the man's soul, but he disliked being manipulated in such a way. Ultimately, the God decided not to take the girl's soul. No, he found himself too intrigued by her. The girl's soul carried the weight of many, many years, more years than any mortal had the right to bear. The Death God was certain that the blonde's soul would be the same. The God found it fascinating. They were both clearly still mortal and would die after their bodies could no longer carry them, but the Reaper felt unlimited potential emanating from them. It was as if Death wasn't enough to stop them from growing.

The Death God returned his attention to the task at hand. He would allow these anomalies to live. They were growing rapidly and still had incredible potential locked away. In fact, the Death God believed they could even become-

The God's musing was cut off as he realized the Bijuu had been completely drained. There was only one thing left to do. With his free hand, the God of Death removed the short sword clenched in his teeth and severed the golden chain. With the Demon's only escape route cut and his task complete, the Death God collected his payment. With a final yank, he removed the soul of the Sound Jonin and gleefully swallowed it whole. With his meal finished and his work done, the God of the Dead faded away from the mortal plane, silently promising to keep an eye on the interesting mortals who had summoned him.

Naruto sighed in relief as the giant form of Shukaku collapsed and crumbled into lifeless sand. The Chakra Chains took massive amounts of chakra to maintain and he was relieved to finally release them. Naruto wiped the sweat from his forehead as he gazed at Sakura. The sealing was in its final stage. The sealing array along Sakura's body and the ground were glowing softly and began retracting. Naruto watched in fascination as the seals all moved along the surface of the ground and Sakura's skin like living words. The seals all retracted towards Sakura's stomach, slowly becoming the same seal array that adorned Naruto's stomach.

Once the seal was complete, Naruto took a tentative few steps toward his friend. "Sakura?" He asked. The medic's head shot upward and Naruto felt a thrill of fear pass through him at the pair of golden eyes that were staring at him. He breathed a sigh of relief as the golden color slowly faded away, being replaced with Sakura's green eyes.

A small smile appeared on Sakura's face. "You did it, Naruto."

Naruto dropped to the ground, letting his legs splay out in front of him. "_We _did it." He corrected. "You, me, and Sasuke. How is Shukaku?"

Sakura placed a hand on her stomach. "Locked up tight. He's not happy about it either."

Naruto nodded. "So, how does it feel being a Jinchuuriki?" He asked.

Sakura frowned and gazed down at her hands, slowly clenching and unclenching them. "Not what I was expecting." She admitted. "I expected to feel overcharged with energy, or have a voice in my head, but there's nothing like that. The Shukaku feels…far away. Like we're not really sharing the same body."

Naruto shrugged. "The seal Dad created was designed like that. You won't have much connection with your demon at all unless you will it or it's able to take advantage of your mental state. Frankly, I don't think the One- tail will be able to influence you through that seal at all. It doesn't have anywhere close to the power of the Kyuubi."

Sakura bit her lip. "This thing isn't going to follow me, is it? I'm not going to wake up on Team Selections with a Sand Demon still lodged in my gut, am I?"

Naruto shook his head. "I very much doubt it. The Kyuubi doesn't remember anything once a loop resets, so it's unlikely that Shukaku would tag along with you."

Naruto got to his feet and held out a hand for Sakura. "We should go find Sasuke and report back to the village." Sakura nodded and reached out to grab Naruto's hand, only for a wall of Sand to suddenly shoot up between them.

Sakura frowned slightly and the wall slowly fell away. She moved to take Naruto's hand again, but a wall once more blocked their way. Sakura groaned. "This is going to take some getting used to."

Scene Break

Out of all the prison cells Naruto had been in, he liked the Leaf's the best. They were plain stone rooms, but they were roomy and even provided a bed. Not like Stone who had cells with adjustable ceiling, ensuring that the cell was just short enough to make standing up uncomfortable. Even worse was the cells in Cloud, the floors were tiled and each tile was connected to an electrical circuit. A random assortment of the tiles were charged with electricity, not enough to kill, but enough to sting like crazy if you stepped on one. Even worse, the tile arraignment reset every hour.

At any rate, Naruto was lying back on cell bed, simply enjoying the time to rest he'd been given after the fight with Gaara. Turns out more than a few ninja witnessed Team 7's battle and the three had been quickly detained for questioning.

The door to Naruto's cell opened, revealing a masked Anbu. "The council has requested your presence." The masked ninja stated. Naruto nodded and got his feet, following the ninja out the door. The blonde was led through the Hokage Tower towards the Council Chamber.

Naruto was unsurprised to see Sakura and Sasuke waiting at the entrance. He was surprised, however, to see what appeared to be a very large Golden Labrador sitting on the floor next to Sakura. As he got closer, Naruto realized the dog was made out of Sand. At his questioning look, Sakura just shrugged.

"I didn't have a gourd on me." She said simply. Naruto nodded before turning his gaze towards Sasuke, who had his head down.

"Hey, are you okay?" Naruto asked. Sasuke raised his head towards Naruto. The blonde noticed that Sasuke's black eyes weren't focused on anything. "Oh Sasuke, I'm sorry."

The blind Uchiha shrugged. "I knew what using Susanoo for so long would do to me. It can't be helped." Given that a reset would bring back Sasuke's eye sight, the Uchiha decided to just take things in stride for the moment.

The doors to the council chamber opened and Team 7 was ushered inside. Naruto put Sasuke's hand on his shoulder to guide him and they made their way in, Sakura's sand canine following after them. The Council Chamber was a large circular room, with a ledge that circled the entire room. This ledge was where the various members of the Council sat. The center of the room was lower than the ledge, meaning whoever spoke to the Council was required to look up at them. Three chairs awaited them in the center of the Council Chamber. They seated themselves and looked up at the Council of the Leaf.

Team 7 felt a slight swell of hope at the sight of the Third Hokage staring down at them. It seemed like their trap for the Sound Four had worked and they managed to drive off Orochimaru without Sarutobi losing his life or using the Reaper Death Seal. Naruto was momentarily distracted by the thought of what would happen if two people tried to summon the Death God simultaneously.

On either side of the Hokage were his two advisors, Homura and Koharu, along with Danzo. The various Clan heads along with several prominent civilians were scattered around the room as well.

There was a moment of silence before the Hokage began. "Do you all know why you're here?" He asked. Sasuke started slightly at the sound of Sarutobi's voice and Naruto realized Sasuke wasn't actually able to see he was alive.

Naruto spoke. "We don't know why you've brought us here, Lord Hokage. If I had to guess, I would say it has something to do with our battle against Sand's Jinchuuriki."

The Hokage nodded. "Indeed. We have many questions that need answering about this battle. I want you to take us through the fight; we'll ask our questions as they come up."

Naruto took a breath and began. "Once the Sleeper Illusion was activated, we realized we were under attack. We had been keeping an eye on Gaara, due to him being a Jinchuuriki. We figured he would be instrumental to the invasion, so we engaged him."

Here Koharu raised her hand to interrupt. "How were you aware that Gaara was a Jinchuuriki?"

Naruto bit his lip. "It is difficult to describe. I felt a sense of…kinship? Familiarity, perhaps? Whatever you wish to call it, I felt drawn to him, like I knew him from another life." If the council wasn't so intent on Naruto, they would have noticed Sasuke fighting down a smirk. "It just sort of came to me that he had a Bijuu sealed inside of him like I did." Naruto noticed some worried looks being directed towards Sakura and Sasuke. "Both of my teammates are aware of my… condition." The two other members of Team 7 nodded.

Koharu spoke again. "Do you believe Gaara knew that you were a Jinchuuriki as well?"

Naruto shrugged. "I can't say. I didn't actually interact with him until the invasion, so I don't know what he thought of me." Koharu nodded and gestured for Naruto to continue

Naruto moved on with his story. "It quickly became apparent that Gaara was losing control of his Bijuu, so we antagonized him and led him out of the village and into the forest. Gaara's mental state wasn't at its best, so we used that to our advantage. We kept moving and attacking from different sides and angles to keep him from properly focusing. We feared that he would soon release his Bijuu, so we killed him. This proved to be a mistake, however, as the beast managed to escape regardless. It seems that killing the host only releases the demon." There was some uneasy muttering around the room.

Sarutobi spoke. "This is one of the main issues we wish to resolve here. Multiple ninja felt the malicious intent of the One-Tail and moved to engage the creature before it could reach the village. Before they could however they witnessed," Sarutobi paused for a moment and glanced down at a paper on his desk, quoting it exactly. "'The Devil himself rise from the trees and attack the Sand Demon. The Devil appeared to lose before golden chains ensnared the beast and drained it of its power." Sarutobi's eyes fixed upon Team 7. "Please explain."

Sasuke place his hand on Naruto's leg to stop him from speaking. "I can answer your questions about the 'Devil' they saw. It was…" Sasuke hesitated. "Is the Council aware of the Mangekyou Sharingan?" It was clear the elders and the Hokage knew, but most of the Council seemed confused. "The Mangekyou Sharingan is the next step above a regular Sharingan. It can only be achieved through great loss, such as killing your own best friend or watching your entire family get murdered. As I'm sure you can imagine, I gained the Mangekyou after the Massacre. It seems the pain of the memories caused me to repress the ability until I finally gained my actual Sharingan."

Sasuke paused to let the murmurs of the Council die down before continuing. "The Mangekyou grants its user many abilities, one of which is known as Susanoo. It allows me to give my chakra physical form in the shape of a guardian or sentinel. The skeletal figure you saw was my Susanoo. My grasp of the technique is far from perfect, which is why it only appears as a skeleton. With time, I'll be able to enhance and reinforce the God of Valor with armor and weapons."

This time, Homura spoke up. "If you have such powerful techniques at your disposal, why have you waited until now to show them?"

Sasuke sighed. "The Mangekyou grants many great and terrible powers, but at a cost. The more one uses the Mangekyou, especially the stronger techniques like Susanoo, the more one loses their eyesight. I've used it sparingly up until now, but I overused it during the battle with the One-Tail and can no longer see."

Danzo spoke up. "Does that mean your eyes are useless now?" He asked.

The Uchiha hesitated. "Not exactly. If the Council will allow it, I would like to activate my Sharingan." There was some more murmuring as the Council debated before Sarutobi spoke.

"You have our permission."

Sasuke nodded. "Thank you." A moment later the Uchiha's eyes turned red. Sasuke blinked a few times before glancing around the room. "Ah, that's better. The Mangekyou does erode my sight, but slowly. I may not be able to see regularly, but it seems my Sharingan still allows me to see. If I continue to use the Mangekyou, however, I believe even my Sharingan will one day go dark as well."

Sarutobi took the forefront again. "So you were hoping to defeat the One-Tail with this technique?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Powerful the Susanoo may be, but it is still limited by my own Chakra and abilities. As I said, my Susanoo is incomplete due to my age and inexperience. I was merely trying to buy time for Naruto and Sakura."

Naruto decided to step in and answer the next question before it was asked. "With the Bijuu released, we knew that it would cause massive destruction if not contained. My friends and I determined that we needed to seal the Bijuu into a new vessel through the Reaper Death Seal."

Sarutobi nearly had a heart attack. "You know the Reaper Death Seal?" He demanded. "How?

Naruto patted his stomach as he contemplated how to answer. "The Fourth Hokage was truly and amazing ninja. His knowledge of Seals was second to none. When he sealed the Kyuubi into me, he managed to seal a bit of himself and my mother as well. They were just small fragments, but once I came in contact with the Kyuubi's cage, they appeared."

Naruto's eyes glazed over slightly, as if in fond remembrance. "They didn't last long, as the fragments could only survive for a short time after awakening from their stasis. They told me everything about the Sealing process and also showed me how to use the Reaper Death Seal and the Chakra Chains, an Uzumaki clan technique."

Naruto didn't bother bring up the fact that Minato was his father. Those who were aware of his parentage would understand he now knew and those who weren't aware didn't need to know. "Once I learned the Reaper Death Seal, I made sure to teach it to Sakura and Sasuke as well."

Homura interrupted again. "Why?"

Sakura finally spoke. "If I may be blunt, we're ninja. If Naruto were to be killed, God forbid, then who knows if the Kyuubi would actually escape or not? If the beast did gain its freedom, then it could cause untold destruction. Naruto made sure Sasuke and I were proficient in the Reaper Death Seal so that we would be able to stop a second coming of the Kyuubi."

Listening to these children casually talking about death made Sarutobi feel very old, and only confirmed his decision that a Fifth Hokage had to be appointed soon. "The Reaper Death Seal is incredibly dangerous. You all took a terrible risk in using it."

Naruto just shook his head. "Lord Hokage, the Leaf village is the single most populated village in the world. A Bijuu, be it one or nine tails, could wipe out the village in its entirety. In the face of such devastation, then what is something as trivial as sacrificing our lives or our eyesight to prevent it? Self-sacrifice is a ninja's duty. We risked our lives to protect the village from a Bijuu attack and we will gladly do it again."

Sarutobi had to resist the urge to rub the bridge of his nose to alleviate the headache he felt. He was still the Hokage and couldn't show weakness. He simply gestured for them to continue.

Naruto spoke. "While Sasuke distracted the One-Tail, Sakura and I prepared for the ritual. After setting up the sealing array and restricting the Bijuu with my chains, we put a Sound Jonin under an illusion and used him as a proxy to perform the Reaper Death Seal, hence why I'm still alive. We drained the Bijuu of its power and sealed it into Sakura, making her a Jinchuuriki."

Danzo spoke. "This leads to another point. Sand is demanding the return of their Bijuu." The war-hawk's face was impassive, but Team 7 could tell he was unhappy with this.

Sakura raised her hand. "If I may, why should we return the One-Tail?"

Sarutobi resisted the urge to sigh. "The Bijuu were originally used by the First Hokage as bargaining chips to stabilize relationships and treaties with the other villages. He gave them the Bijuu as a sign of trust."

Sakura nodded. "Exactly. The Bijuu were given as a sign of trust. Sand broke that trust when they allied with Sound and invaded. Is it not our right to take back what was freely given? Let Sand live for a generation without a Jinchuuriki and see how eager they are to pull something like this again. When I pass, they can seal the beast into one of their ninja, but until then let this serve as a symbol that the Leaf gave these creatures as a sign of trust and we can take them away just as easily. Besides, the Leaf village will need all the intimidation power and military might it can muster after this attack. Two Jinchuuriki will certain help that."

Danzo was a master of hiding and killing his emotions. The small smile he wore was the equivalent of an open-toothed grin. He very clearly approved of Sakura's reasoning. Naruto finished his story. "Once the demon was safely contained, Sakura and I found Sasuke unconscious and began making our way back to the village, where we were intercepted by Anbu and put in holding cells. A few days passed, and here we are."

There was a long silence before the Hokage spoke. "Thank you for your report. We will deliberate on what you've told us and decide on a course of action." A few Anbu appeared at the time-traveler's sides and led them out of the Council room. They were led back to the holding cells and all three were allowed into the same one.

Once the Anbu left, Sakura subtly cast an illusion that prevented anyone from overhearing what they were saying. It would just sound like boring conversation. With that done, the medic sat down on the ground, her sand dog lying down next to her and resting its head on her leg. "What do think will happen now?"

Naruto leaned against the wall and shrugged. "Hard to say. They won't execute us, not after learning that Bijuu can escape through death. I don't think they'll imprison us either, we won them over pretty nicely."

Sasuke nodded. "The Third was sympathetic to us from the start. Using Shukaku to increase the Leaf's military power and dropping Danzo's 'Self-sacrifice is a ninja's duty' philosophy definitely won him to our side. Not only that, but the elders and Clan heads seemed impressed with our strategy and skill while the civilians are just relieved to know that there's an actual plan in case the Kyuubi breaks out. I'd say were in pretty good shape."

All three of them nodded and they spent the rest of their time watching Sakura do tricks with her new sand abilities.

It was roughly two hours later when Team 7 was once again summoned to the Council Chambers. They stood before the Hokage, as the chairs from before were gone. Sarutobi stared down at them for a moment before speaking.

"Naruto Uzumaki. Sakura Haruno. Sasuke Uchiha. You three single handedly prevented another Bijuu from causing destruction in our village. For that, and for the incredible amounts of courage, fortitude, and Will of Fire you have shown, all three of you have been promoted to the rank of Tokubetsu Jonin."

The three time-traveler's jaws dropped open. They had _never_ risen in rank this quickly before. All three quickly bowed. "Thank you, Lord Hokage. We are honored with your decision."

The Hokage nodded. "We would not be giving you this rank if we didn't think you deserved it. Tomorrow, I want you three to report to my office where I will have some prepared to go over what is expected of you with your new rank. Understand? Good. You three are dismissed."

Scene Break

The village spent the following days rebuilding and recuperating from the Invasion. The three newly minted Jonin spent their time helping out around town or focusing on helping Sakura control her new Sand abilities. Like with Gaara, Sakura had a set amount of Sand that was charged with the Shukaku's chakra. Being the Jinchuuriki of the One-Tail allowed her to control any form of dry sand, but this specific sand could be controlled effortlessly because it was always channeled Shukaku's chakra.

Due to the Sand being powered by Shukaku as opposed to Sakura, it didn't drain her chakra, but it could also act independently of her control. Fortunately, Sakura didn't have the same distrust of everyone around her that Gaara did, so preventing a sand wall from popping up every time some tried to touch her was a relatively simple affair. It also helped that Sakura was already an Earth elemental, so the sand didn't take a lot of adapting to use properly.

"It's all Earth." Sakura said as she ran her fingers through the surprisingly soft grains. "Each and every grain of sand is really just a very small rock. Given how many grains there are, I normally wouldn't be able to control it so well, but because the sand is being held together by Shukaku and connected to my subconscious, I just have to properly will it and the sand will obey. I don't have to micromanage every single solitary grain."

Team 7 was lounging around in Training Ground 3, simply enjoying the nice weather. They decided to simply take a day and relax rather than train. If the loops had taught them anything, it was that you needed to be able to take a step back and rest or you'll snap from stress.

Sasuke was sitting on a tree branch, his back resting against the trunk. Naruto was lying down at the base of the tree, his head propped up on one arm to watch Sakura play with her sand. Sakura didn't have a gourd to carry her Sand around in, nor did she particularly want one. Instead, she simply willed the sand into the form of a large dog. She had tried making it something more intimidating, like a tiger, but that made the villagers nervous. Thanks to the Inuzuka clan, the Leaf civilians were at least used to seeing large dogs wandering around.

Sakura was making her Sand dog chase its tail when Jiraiya walked in. "Well, what do we have here? You three just made Jonin and already you're slacking off." The large grin on his face countered the admonishment in his tone. "And here I am ready to congratulate you on your promotion by letting your three accompany me on special assignment."

"You're willing to continue training us?" Naruto asked, honestly surprised.

Jiraiya nodded. "Definitely. I must admit, I was wary of you three when I heard about what happened with Kakashi, but Sarutobi was right. You three have the Will of Fire in you. You impressed the Hell out of me with how you handled the Bijuu situation. I'm not so sure I could have done as well in the same situation." Jiraiya's grin settled into an easy smile as he gazed at Team 7.

Sakura tilted her head slightly, her sand dog mirroring her action behind her. "You said you were taking us on a special assignment?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Yep. Sarutobi may have managed to severely wound Orochimaru with the help of some Anbu, but the traitor still got away. The fight made him realize that he truly is too old to continue holding the mantle of Hokage and it's time for a new contender to step up. Our job is to go out and find my old teammate, Tsunade Senju, and convince her to become Hokage."

Team 7 glanced at each other. "If you don't mind me asking, why aren't you becoming Hokage, Jiraiya? You must be the strongest ninja in the village, why go hunting for your wayward teammate?"

Jiraiya sighed. "Let's just say I'm not suited for the Hokage hat. It probably wouldn't fit on my head anyway." The man chuckled as he ruffled his large head of hair. "No, Tsunade would be a far better leader than I would. She deserves the hat more than me. Besides, she's been away from her home for far too long."

"Okay, but why bring us? Wouldn't you travel faster on your own?" Sakura asked, idly leaning against her Sand canine.

Jiraiya shrugged. "I did agree to train you three, and I'm a man of my word. What can I say? I've taken a shine to you three. Besides, it will be good experience to have a senior officer while you three are getting used to being Jonin." Jiraiya scratched the top of his head. "Also, the Council wants me to keep an eye on you three and make sure Sakura's seal is properly implemented, if I'm being completely honest."

The three time-travelers nodded. That made sense. Jiraiya clapped his hands together. "So, I'd like to get moving as soon as possible. Go pack your bags and we'll leave immediately. While we're traveling, I'll show you kids a powerful jutsu I think you'll enjoy."

"Jiraiya." Sasuke spoke for the first time, dropping down from the tree branch. "Can you teach me to fight without using my sight?"

Jiraiya furrowed his brow. "Why? You can see with your Sharingan, can't you?"

Sasuke nodded. "Indeed I can, but there may come a time when I'm forced to use the Mangekyou again and lose the rest of my sight. Even if that doesn't happen, the Sharingan are a constant, albeit minor drain on my chakra. This has been, for lack of a better term, an eye opening experience. I rely too much on my sight. I need to learn how to function without it."

The Toad Sannin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I like the way you think. You're right; it would be advantageous to be able to fight without your sight. You never know when an enemy will use a blinding illusion or you may simply have to fight in the dark. Alright Sasuke, I'll train you to fight blind. In fact, I think all three of you should learn it. It's a valuable skill to have." He waited until all three nodded in agreement. "Good. Let's meet by the North Gate in an hour."

Scene Break

Team 7 quickly found themselves on the road with Jiraiya in search of Tsunade. They spent their time moving rather than training, Jiraiya assuring them that once they got to another town they would begin training in blind combat. Thanks to Team 7's future knowledge, they already knew where Tsunade was, but they couldn't just tell Jiraiya that. Luckily, they also knew where she had been and who to get tips from.

"Yeah, the Legendary Sucker was here. She racked up a nice big debt, then skipped town, damn bitch. She owes me over two-hundred thousand ryo!" The owner of a gambling den groused. "Last I heard, she was heading for Tanzaku Quarter."

Sasuke stepped forward and placed a large stack of bills on the table. "Thank you for your help. Will this be enough to pay off her debt?"

The owner's eyes widened as he quickly counted out the money. "Uh, yeah. That….that'll do it."

Sasuke nodded. "Good. Thanks again for the help and you have a nice day." Team 7 and Jiraiya turned to leave.

"Come again any time." The owner called after them, significantly happier now that he had been paid.

Once they were outside, Jiraiya turned to Sasuke. "Are you sure you want to keep paying off Tsunade's debts like that?" He asked.

Sasuke shrugged. "It's not like the Uchiha clan can't afford it, it would just sit around otherwise. Hopefully we can use this as a way of convincing Tsunade to return with us. Besides, now that I'm a Jonin, I'll be making a lot more money doing higher ranked missions." Sasuke left out the fact that the Uchiha clan would probably be rolling in their graves from Sasuke blowing hundreds of thousands of ryo on a Senju.

Jiraiya shrugged. It wasn't his place to tell Sasuke how to spend his money. Instead he decided to focus on finding Tsunade. "Tanzaku Quarter is a few days away and Tsunade never stays in one place for very long. If we want to catch up to her, we'll have to pick up our pace. Think you three can go the distance?"

Naruto snorted and lightly smacked Jiraiya on the arm. "Just try and keep up." It took them less than a day to arrive.

Scene Break

"Now if I know Tsunade, and I do, she'll be in a bar getting hammered at this hour." The four Leaf ninja glanced around the darkened street. The sun had already set and the lights from the various restaurants and bars offered the only illumination.

Tanzaku Quarter was a large walled in city. It was originally built by a warlord who hoped to one day overthrow the Leaf village with his forces. The Leaf village, naturally, wiped him out. Rather than just destroy the town and the large castle that stood over it, the town became part of the Fire Nation and was now a filled with casinos, restaurants and hotels. It was a popular tourist attraction.

Team 7 was rather enjoying what amounted to little more than a road trip. Since Sarutobi hadn't been forced to steal Orochimaru's arms with the Reaper Death Seal, Kabuto would be able to take care of any injuries the Sannin received. Meaning it was highly unlikely the snake would show up to get Tsunade's help.

"So we go on a bar crawl until we find her?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya grinned. "You got it."

They hit pay dirt on their first try. They entered the bar and almost immediately spotted the distinctive blonde haired woman sitting in a booth with her brunette companion. Their ability to spot her may have had something to do with the fact that Tsunade currently had a death grip on a terrified waiter's shirt.

"Listen up, you little punk." She growled, her face flushed and her speech slurred. "I'll tell you when I've had enough, until then, you just keep the Sake coming, understand?" The terrified waiter quickly nodded his head and ran for the kitchen once Tsunade released him.

The four Leaf ninja glanced at one another before making their way over. All four of them seated themselves on the opposite side of the table from Tsunade and Shizune, with Sakura's sand dog lying down on the floor next to them. "Long time no see, Princess."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "Jiraiya. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to convince you to come back to the Leaf village and become the Fifth Hokage."

Tsunade snorted and took another sip of alcohol. "Forget it. I'm not going back to that damn village. Only an idiot would do something as stupid as become the Hokage."

Sakura and Sasuke both sighed. They had forgotten how bad Tsunade was early in the loops. Tsunade was one of the most powerful ninja in the world, but the pain of losing her brother and her fiancé caused her to spiral into a depression of gambling and alcohol. It made them sad to see such a great woman brought down to such lows, especially since they had seen firsthand some of the great things she was capable of. If was particularly heartbreaking for Sakura to see her Master, the woman who had taught Sakura so much, in this state.

Naruto, however, had a very different sort of reaction. Seeing Tsunade like this made him very, very angry. She was better than this, he _knew_ she was. Naruto had seen Tsunade lead the village through war after war while being Hokage. He had seen her go toe to toe with _Pein_ and fight him to a _draw_. Naruto cared about Tsunade; she was a very important person to him. That's why he hated seeing her in this drunken state.

To Naruto, this wasn't even truly Tsunade. It was just a broken shell of the woman she could and should have been. The trials and tribulations Naruto had experienced during these loops had hardened Naruto's already impressive resolve into something immovable. Naruto, like his teammates, devoted themselves to becoming strong and to constantly moving forward. To give up and let life pass you by was inconceivable to the blonde. To see someone he cared about, especially someone as strong as Tsunade, simply giving up enraged him to no end.

"Maybe you didn't hear him." Naruto said, gaining everyone's attention. "You've been ordered to return to the village and become the Hokage."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes at Naruto before turning to Jiraiya. "Who are these brats, Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya was very serious when he answered. "Jonin of the Leaf village and my students."

Shizune and Tsunade were taken aback. "I thought you swore never to take on any students again?"

"I did, but these three are special."

Tsunade looked over Team 7. "They sure don't look like much."

Naruto snorted. "Look who's talking, lush."

The Slug Sannin's fist clenched. "What did you just say to me?"

"You heard me, you drunk. Are you going to return to the village, or am I going to have to drag you there?"

Tsunade grabbed the bottle of Sake and took a deep chug from it. She slammed the bottle down on the table with enough force to rattle it. "Piss off. There is nothing you can do to get me back in that God-forsaken village."

"Nothing at all?" Naruto asked. Tsunade shook her head. "Fine, I didn't want to have to do this, but if you're going to be stubborn then I have no choice. Tsunade Senju, if you do not return with us to the village then your Sannin travel rights will be revoked and you will be labeled as an A-rank missing ninja. You think having debt collectors constantly chasing you is bad? I'll have Hunter ninja after you before the week is out."

Shizune gasped, her face going pale, and the glass in Tsunade's fist shattered. "You… how dare you!"

Naruto was unrepentant. "The Third Hokage allowed you to keep your travel rights and move freely across the country so you had time to grieve. Well guess what? Time's up. You're little pity party has come to an end and it's time to grow up and face your responsibilities as a ninja of the Leaf."

Tsunade shot to her feet, her fist already moving to connect with Naruto's face. Sakura's hand shot out and caught Tsunade's wrist, holding back the Sannin's super strength with her own. Jiraiya, Shizune, and Tsunade all stared in shock at Sakura's hand holding back Tsunade's. The pink-haired girl threw Tsunade back into her seat before sitting back down.

Naruto clicked his tongue in disproval. "How childish. You hear something you don't want to and your first reaction is lash out with violence? Pathetic. Jiraiya, are you sure there isn't someone better suited for the position of Hokage?"

Tsunade's temper was beginning to get the best of her. "Just who do you think you are, brat?"

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, son of Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze, and I'm a proud Jonin of the Leaf village." Tsunade was taken aback by the venom in Naruto's voice. "I'm someone who respects what the title of Hokage represents and I can't stand people like you trying to sully it. Insult it again, and I'll flatten you."

A smirk worked its way onto Tsunade's face. "Oh, you think you can take me?"

"Yes, I do. In fact, you like gambling, so let's make a bet. Fight me. If I win, then you return with us to the village." Naruto declared.

Tsunade stared down at Naruto. "And if I win?"

Sasuke spoke up. "If you beat Naruto, then I'll pay off all your gambling debts." Tsunade's eyes moved over to Sasuke, only to widen as she recognized the Sharingan in his eyes and realized he was an Uchiha.

Tsunade got to her feet and gestured outside. "Sounds like a deal. Shall we?" Naruto got to his feet and followed her out the door. Shizune picked up Tonton and began furiously whispering with Jiraiya.

"Master Jiraiya, you can't let that boy fight Lady Tsunade! She'll kill him!" She pleaded. Sakura patted the worried medic on the shoulder and gave her a relaxed smile.

"Don't worry. Naruto can handle himself. Come on, let's go watch." They quickly headed outside, Sasuke pausing long enough to pay the tab and leave a considerable tip for the poor waiter who had been dealing with Tsunade.

Tsunade and Naruto stared each other down as they stood in the middle of the empty street. Tsunade raised her index finger into the air. "Bring it on, brat. One finger is all I'll need to-" A clone of Naruto appeared behind the blonde Sannin with a kunai covered in wind chakra. The legendary medic only barely managed to catch the clone's wrist before being cut and destroyed it with a kick.

"Ah, you recognize your own vulnerability. You chose to keep your arm instead of sticking with your stupid pride." Tsunade glared at Naruto, a growl emanating from her throat. "I'm going to end this quickly."

Naruto shot forward, covering the distance between himself and Tsunade in an instant. Surprised by the blonde's speed, The Slug Sannin attempted to hit Naruto with her super-powered fists. Unfortunately for Tsunade, Naruto was teammates with Sakura and had more than enough experience fighting close-range power houses.

Naruto ducked under Tsunade's fist and slammed the heel of his foot into Tsunade's ankle. The Sannin grimaced as Naruto broke her ankle. She needed leverage and momentum to pull off her powerful blows, without a wide stance and two firm feet to stand on; she couldn't use the full extent of her strength.

Tsunade could easily heal her ankle, but Naruto had no intention of giving her that chance. He crouched low and delivered a devastating uppercut to Tsunade's jaw. The woman was thrown off her feet from the force of the blow. Naruto jumped above her while still in midair and used his finishing blow. A blue orb of swirling chakra formed in his hand and he slammed it into Tsunade's stomach.

"Rasengan!" The Slug Sannin was driven into the ground by the jutsu, the street cratering beneath her. She lay prone on the ground, her eyes wide and gasping for breath. Naruto stood over her, a smug smirk on his lips. "What's the matter, Granny? Feeling your age?"

"H-How?" Tsunade managed to wheeze out between gasps.

"When was the last time you seriously trained in combat or fought a powerful opponent?" Naruto asked. "How many years have you spent drinking and gambling instead of honing your skills? Did you think your abilities wouldn't decay? Did you assume you would always be naturally strong enough to take on anyone who challenged you? Tsunade Senju, the Slug Sannin, could do that, but you aren't her. You're just a washed out drunk, a Legendary Sucker."

Naruto sighed and crouched down so he could look Tsunade in the eyes. "I take no pleasure in doing this, but you have to understand that the village needs Tsunade of the Sannin right now. I know about the pain you've suffered and the loved ones you've lost." Naruto rapidly used his transformation jutsu, turning into Nawaki, then Dan, before returning to normal, much to Tsunade's shock. "I know you're in pain, but you are not more important than the entirety of the Leaf village. Dan and Nawaki both died believing in the village. To waste your life drinking and gambling while leaving the Leaf on its own is an insult to their memory."

Naruto got to his feet and gave Tsunade one last look. "I know it's painful, but you need to get your shit together and think about what's really important. You have a week to decide if you'll come willingly or unwillingly. Think carefully, because I _will_ chase you if you try to run."

Naruto walked towards his team, leaving Tsunade in the crater. "We're done here. Jiraiya, I'm going back to the hotel." Sasuke and Sakura quickly joined their blonde friend. Jiraiya contemplated following them, but decided against it. He walked over to Tsunade, who was already being healed by an awe-struck Shizune. He was going to have a lot of explaining to do.

Scene Break

It was two days later, while Team 7 was exploring the town shops, when Jiraiya finally tracked them down. Naruto turned to glance at the tall man, but didn't stop looking through the various trinkets laid out on a store display shelf. Sasuke, Sakura, and her dog were on the other side of the store, talking quietly.

"I was wondering when you'd finally show up. How's our wayward princess?" Naruto asked casually.

"She's fine. Her injuries were mostly superficial; she's more surprised and shocked than hurt. She's not the only one." Naruto sighed and put down the blown glass eagle he had been admiring. He turned to Jiraiya and put his hands on his hips.

"I suppose this has something to do with mentioning my parents and using the Rasengan?" The blonde asked.

Jiraiya nodded. "Sarutobi told me about the report you gave to the council. I had intended to bring it up with you, but was waiting for an ideal moment." Jiraiya's voice became slightly strained. "Did…did you really meet Minato and Kushina?"

Naruto hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. Yeah, I did. It's actually kind of uncanny how much Dad looks like me, and Mom was so full of life and energy." Both Jiraiya and Naruto grew quite as they each lost themselves in remembrance.

Naruto shook his head slightly and brought himself back to the present. "They taught me as much as they could, Chakra Chains, Reaper Death Seal, and the Rasengan." Naruto held up his hand and The Spiraling Sphere appeared floating above his hand. He stared into the swirling lines of chakra, the glow from the jutsu illuminating his face slightly.

"It's mesmerizing, isn't it?" Jiraiya asked. "The intricate way the chakra swirls and mixes."

"It is destructive force and restrained grace given form." Naruto agreed. "But it's more than that. This is a technique created by the Fourth Hokage, something he created that no one else has been able to replicate without his instruction. I… I never feel closer to my father than when I'm using this technique."

A hand came to rest on Naruto's shoulder. The blonde dispelled the Rasengan and placed his own hand over the one his shoulder, gripping it tightly. The blonde turned to give Sasuke a smile of thanks while Sakura wrapped him in a quick hug.

Jiraiya watched, silently impressed by the way these three were able to bring such comfort to each other without words. Just their mere presence was enough to calm each other. Jiraiya had been worried when he had read the Academy reports about Naruto's teammates. The dynamic seemed like it would be almost eerily similar to Jiraiya's own team. It terrified Jiraiya to think of his Godson going through the same pain he went through when his team fell apart. It did Jiraiya' heart good to see how close Naruto was with his teammates. Somehow, he doubted Sasuke and Sakura would be going anywhere without Naruto by their side.

Jiraiya sighed. "Anyway, Tsunade is still trying to come to terms with her battle against Naruto. She isn't stupid enough to leave town, so we can just wait around until she's ready. Until then, we might as well take in the sights, maybe do a little more blind training." Jiraiya tilted his head towards the large structure that loomed over all of Tanzaku Quarter. "Want to check out the Tanzaku Castle?"

Scene Break

"Man, this place is huge." Naruto admired as they walked through the halls of Tanzaku Castle. They were admiring the architecture as they headed towards the main throne room, which was the largest and grandest part of the castle. "I can see why this is such a big tourist attraction."

"It's pretty dead though, don't you think?" Sasuke asked as he used his Sharingan to look around. "I mean, we are literally the only ones here and it's the middle of the day."

Sakura shrugged as she moved ahead a bit to be the first one in the throne room. "Eh, not even the hottest attractions are visited all the time. People are probably out gambling or something." They entered the throne room, and were impressed by the grandeur of the room. Large stone pillars lined with gold inlay held up the high ceilings. Tapestries hung from the walls, depicting battles and tragedies. There were two large doors that led to separate rooms on either side of the area, along with the large archway they had just passed through. In the center of the room stood a large throne, originally held by the warlord who built the town as a fortress for his forces before being wiped out by the Leaf.

Jiraiya frowned. "Something is wrong. Even if this place is empty of tourists, there should still be some staff here to watch over everything."

A voice spoke out. "Don't worry about the staff. We've made sure that no one will interfere with us." The doorway the four had just passed through slammed shut behind them. All four dropped into ready stances, unsure of what was about to happen.

"Show yourselves!" Jiraiya shouted, his voice echoing.

"Very well." From behind the throne, emerged four figures, each adorned with the signature cloaks of Akatsuki.

Naruto mentally cursed himself for being careless as the figures came into view; they should have seen this coming. Akatsuki usually made a move to capture him shortly after the Invasion ended, but they had forgotten in the face of everything that had gone on in this loop. Given that Sakura was a Jinchuuriki now as well, they should have expected Akatsuki to send in extra force to capture both her and Naruto.

"It's been a long time, Little Brother"

"I say we should shave off Blondie's legs so he can't run away."

"We're after the pink-haired one, right? I can't wait to show her the explosive talent of my art!"

"Shut up, brat. I'm already irritated from having to wait all day for them and I don't feel like listening to you spout out your amateur flash in the pan style. True art is about lasting through time and eternity."

Itachi of the Sharingan, Kisame, the Monster of the Mist, Deidara of the Explosive Corps, and Sasori of the Red Sand. Four members of the Akatsuki, all S-ranked ninja, in the same location and ready to fight. This was very, very bad.

"We need to get out of here." Jiraiya whispered.

"Do you really think we are gonna escape four S-class ninja?" Naruto demanded.

"…No." Jiraiya said after a moment. "Do you intend to fight them?"

"I'm really not seeing any other option here."

"I'm tired of waiting around." Sasori growled from within his Hiruko puppet, the bladed tail coming into view.

Deidara nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I've been itching to try out my art."

"We have to split them up; we can't risk fighting all four of them together at once." Naruto said. Jiraiya was about to protest, but Naruto cut him off. "We don't have time to-"

"Sasuke!" Sakura suddenly screamed.

Sasuke had taken his eyes off of Itachi to glance at Naruto and Jiraiya, and didn't notice his brother appear in front of him. Before the younger Uchiha could defend himself, Itachi's foot connected with Sasuke's gut, sending the Uchiha flying into one of the antechambers on the side of the throne room. Itachi leapt into the room after his younger sibling, the door slamming shut behind him.

Naruto cursed as he pulled out a scroll. "Sakura, Jiraiya! You two handle Sasori and Deidara! I'll deal with Kisame."

"Are you crazy?" Jiraiya demanded, but Naruto wasn't listening.

The blonde was running towards the other antechamber while unraveling the scroll and activating the storage seal. With a puff of smoke, Zabuza's sword, The Decapitator appeared in his hands. Naruto held the overly large blade above his head, waving it back and forth. "Hey Fish Face! Recognize this?"

Kisame's eyes widened at the sight of Naruto wielding on of the Seven Swords. His teeth clenched and he chased after Naruto into the separate room. Kisame's sword lashed out and shut the doors after him.

"Damn them!" Jiraiya swore. "This is not the situation to go running off on your own."

"Jiraiya, move!" Sakura yelled. The Toad Sannin only barely managed to avoid getting caught by the blast of an explosive clay bird.

"I don't like being ignored." Deidara said, his hands regurgitating clay into palm. "I came here to show you people true art."

"Naruto and Sasuke can handle themselves." Sakura said, her sand floating around her as she prepared for battle. "We've got our own problems to worry about. The sooner we take these two down, the sooner we can help them." Jiraiya grimace, but nodded, settling into a battle stance.

Deidara grinned and held up his arm. Resting on his forearm were five different clay birds. "Don't you know? Art is a real bang!" The birds took flight and sped towards Jiraiya and Sakura.

Scene Break

Itachi landed in the room he had knocked Sasuke into as the doors closed behind him. The room was the Tanzaku Library, filled the brim with scrolls and books of history. The library was three stories tall; two separate levels of balconies lined the walls to reach the books on the higher shelves. There were desks and chairs scattered around for reading and two large windows as tall as the ceiling allowed the sunlight to illuminate the entire library.

Itachi didn't care about any of this, nor did he pay it the slightest mind. His entire focus was on his little brother, Sasuke. Itachi's mission was to capture Naruto, but Itachi didn't care about that either. No, the rumors that had floated around the village shortly after the Invasion had shocked Itachi. If the rumors were to be believed, then Sasuke had fought off the One-tailed demon with a demonic skeleton made of chakra.

As soon as Itachi learned this, he knew he needed to confront his brother. Could Sasuke truly have already attained the Mangekyou? And could he have such control that he was actually able to use Susanoo, even in its most basic form?

Itachi watched his brother from across the library, waiting for Sasuke to make the first move. When it became clear that Sasuke was waiting as well, Itachi left an illusion of himself standing in place while simultaneously covering himself in a camouflage illusion and leaping up to one of the balconies on the side of the library. His execution of both illusions was flawless, yet he still found Sasuke's eyes staring up at him on the balcony.

'Not fooled for a second.' Itachi thought. The missing ninja leapt over the balcony and launched a fireball down at Sasuke. This was, of course, an illusion to cover Itachi throwing two kunai towards where the real Sasuke was hiding in the corner. Except Sasuke wasn't in the corner any longer, he was on the ceiling directly above Itachi, launching a lightning bolt down on the older Uchiha's head.

This was exactly what Itachi had planned on. He Replaced himself with a nearby chair and fired off a wind jutsu while Sasuke was in the open on the ceiling. Sasuke had naturally seen this coming and had planted explosive tags under the chair that he knew Itachi would use as a Replacement. The tags exploded directly under Itachi's feet, just as the missing ninja knew they would. The older Uchiha used the blast as cover to knock over the bookshelf Sasuke was hiding behind.

Sasuke easily saw through the illusion of the falling bookshelf and rather than jump out into the open, he shot a bolt of lightning directly through the thick bookcase at Itachi. The elder Uchiha was already on top of the bookcase, having known Sasuke would see through his illusion, and blasted his younger sibling with a fireball.

Sasuke had easily predicted this and was hanging upside down underneath one of the balconies. The younger Uchiha threw a barrage of shuriken at Itachi's back. The missing ninja ignored the obviously illusionary blades and instead dodged the curved blast of lightning that Sasuke had thrown off to the side and twisted around to attack Itachi's blind spot.

Itachi leapt into the air to avoid the blast. Sasuke leapt into the air as well. The two Uchiha flew towards each other, fists cocked back and ready to strike. Before they could, however, both Shadow Clones ran out of chakra and dispelled with a puff of smoke. The real Sasuke and Itachi were standing in their original positions, having never truly moved in the first place.

"Not bad." Itachi said after a moment. Sasuke just smirked. "Your ability to see through multiple illusions is impressive. Now, let's see how you handle something a bit more advanced." Itachi activated his Mangekyou Sharingan, trapping Sasuke within the dark world of Tsukuyomi.

Itachi slowly approached Sasuke, who was strapped to a large stone slab. "I can see it your eyes. You still lack hatred. You have not lived to kill me as a told you to, so now I must punish you." Projections of Fugaku Uchiha and Mikoto Uchiha appeared kneeling before Itachi. "For the next 72 hours, you're going to relive that day."

To Itachi's surprise, Sasuke actually laughed. "You're right, Itachi. I haven't lived like you told me too and I'm not filled with hatred. That's exactly why you can't beat me!" Sasuke's eyes changed as he activated his own Mangekyou. "Tsukuyomi Destroyer!"

Itachi barely had time to note that Sasuke's Mangekyou resembled an atom in shape before the red and black world of the Tsukuyomi shattered.

Itachi was so discombobulated by the Tsukuyomi, the strongest illusion in the world, being destroyed that he was unprepared for Sasuke's next attack. The younger Uchiha closed in on his brother and delivered a high kick to Itachi's jaw.

The pain of the blow brought Itachi back to reality and allowed him to intercept Sasuke's next blow. The elder sibling caught his brother's fist and slammed his knee into Sasuke's gut. Sasuke grunted in pain, but wrapped his arm around Itachi's leg and used it to throw the missing ninja to the side.

Itachi easily landed on his feet and launched a wave of fire at Sasuke. Sasuke flipped over the flames and charged at Itachi, a Thousand Birds technique chirping on his right hand. Sasuke used a burst of high speed to get behind Itachi and try to stab at his back. Itachi's insanely fast reflexes allowed his to twist around and catch Sasuke's wrist. The missing ninja was surprised by Sasuke's strength, as he was only barely managing to keep Sasuke's assassination technique from connecting.

Itachi drew a kunai heated with fire chakra with his free hand and attempted to stab it into Sasuke's neck. Like his brother, Sasuke caught Itachi's wrist, barely able to keep the super-heated blade from connecting.

The two brothers struggled against one another, neither willing to divert attention away from the others attack for fear of being overwhelmed. "You say you refuse to live with hatred, yet here you are trying to kill me." Itachi taunted, his voice showing none of the strain he was under.

Sasuke growled out his answer through his teeth. "I am not the avenger of the Uchiha clan! I refuse that position!" The lightning encasing Sasuke's fist suddenly extended out into a blade, clipping Itachi's side. Sasuke used his grip on his older brother's arm to pull himself into the air and plant both feet into Itachi's face. Using the missing ninja's face as a spring board, Sasuke catapulted himself away, landing on the other side of the library.

Itachi stared at Sasuke, uncertain of what his brother was talking about. He had carefully arranged so Sasuke would hate him for the death of the Uchiha clan, but now Sasuke claimed to no longer care? "If it is not for the Uchiha clan, the why are you fighting? This is not the way a man without purpose battles."

Sasuke took a deep breath. "You're a member of Akatsuki, correct? The goal of Akatsuki is to capture all the Jinchuuriki of the world and forcibly rip the Bijuu from within them." Itachi was surprised by the information Sasuke possessed. "Naruto and Sakura are both Jinchuuriki and that means you intend to capture them and kill them. The Uchiha clan and their ideals can go rot for all I care, but I will not stand by and let you take my friends from me. You hear me, Itachi? _I won't let you take them!"_

Violet chakra suddenly flared around Sasuke's entire body. "Susanoo, Great Guardian of Darkness, I summon thee!" The skeletal upper body of Susanoo reared to life around Sasuke, its ribs forming a protective shell around him.

Itachi threw himself backwards to avoid the skeletal fist that attempted to crush him. He had no choice, the Susanoo was too powerful to face with conventional means. Yellow Chakra flared around Itachi as he summoned his own version of Susanoo. Unlike Sasuke's demonic Susanoo, Itachi's appeared more human in nature. Its head was smooth and devoid of horns and while it had two right arms, it only had five fingers as opposed to Sasuke's six.

The skeletal appearance of Itachi's Susanoo didn't last long. Unlike Sasuke, Itachi had completed his Susanoo. Muscle and skin spread across the bones, covering and reinforcing them. The grinning skull was covered, forming into a calm face with an extended chin and a helmet covered in curved spikes that resembled dreadlocks.

Sasuke charged forward, a sword forming in his Susanoo's hand. The violet skeleton lashed out at its yellow counter-part, only to be stopped dead by a red spiral shield appearing in Itachi's Susanoo's left hand. "Behold, The Eight Span Mirror. This legendary artifact is imbued with all elemental affinities, allowing it to change its own characteristics and counter any attack."

Sasuke summoned another blade in his Susanoo's other hand and tried to attack Itachi's other side, but was once more stopped. Itachi's Susanoo's two right hands both held this weapon. The lower hand held a gourd while the upper hand held a blade made of liquid that emerged from the gourd. Itachi's blade met Sasuke's and the younger sibling's sword shattered on impact. "The Sake Cutter Long Sword is far superior to your mere chakra constructs. This blade can seal anything it pierces into the gourd, trapping it forever."

The yellow Susanoo lashed out with its blade, attempting to bisect its opponent from shoulder to hip. Sasuke managed to throw himself backwards and dodge the attack. In desperation, Sasuke fired a blast of Amaterasu at his brother. To Sasuke's shock, the Eight Span Mirror blocked the attack and the Sake Cutter Long Sword sealed the black flames into the gourd, leaving no signs of damage. In all the years Sasuke had lived through the loops, he had never seen Amaterasu fail to incinerate whatever it touched. Where did Itachi gain such powerful weapons? Between the two of them, he had no exploitable weaknesses!

Sasuke grimaced; the pain of using Susanoo was beginning to set in. Sasuke could feel his eye sight erode even further. Itachi spoke. "Give up, Sasuke. You can't hope to match the power of my Susanoo while yours is still incomplete."

Sasuke shook his head, his voice coming out in a desperate rasp. "No. No. I can't give up, I have to beat you. You've already taken Naruto and Sakura away from me once. I won't let it happen again!" Itachi was confused by Sasuke's words, unaware that his brother was lost in the past, back during the dark days where Naruto and Sakura had been murdered before his eyes. It may have been Tobi under an illusion, but that didn't change the fact that the image burned into Sasuke's mind was of Itachi cutting open Sakura's throat.

"I wasn't strong enough. I wasn't strong enough and I lost them. I won't go back to those dark days of being alone! I can't, I refuse!" Sasuke's voice grew into a shout. _"I refuse to let my family die again!"_

Sasuke's Susanoo reared back and roared, responding to its master's emotions. Skin and armor began spreading across the skeletal frame. Samurai armor formed over the torso and arms, the shoulders flaring out into wide spikes. The helmet that formed around the head had three distinct ridges, two along the edge to accommodate the horns and one along the center that connected to the other ridges into a pointed front. Unlike the face of the Itachi's Susanoo, which was calm, Sasuke's held the visage of a large, maniacal grin.

Itachi was amazed. 'He forced his Susanoo to completion through sheer will power!' Sasuke was hunched over, his breath ragged at the effort it had taken to complete his God of Valor. Sasuke squared his shoulders and raised his head to face Itachi. His eyes were bleeding profusely, but his gaze was unflinching.

"Do you see this, Itachi? This is a living embodiment of my emotions and desires. The stronger the desire, the stronger Susanoo becomes. You know what my Susanoo is an embodiment of?" A flat, violet disk appeared on the Susanoo's left arm, similar to the Eight Span Mirror. However, this disk had two branches that arched out from the ends and were connected by a string, forming a bow. "This is a physical representation of my desire to protect. True strength comes when you are defending someone precious to you and Susanoo is a living embodiment of that!"

The two right arms of Susanoo held up their empty palms. In one hand, a purple orb of burning energy formed. Long arrows of chakra emerged from orb and were grabbed by the second right hand. Sasuke's Susanoo nocked the two arrows and aimed at Itachi's. "Take this!"

The two arrows were let loose, the air around them being blown aside as they sped towards Itachi. The yellow Susanoo intercepted both arrows with the Eight Span Mirror, only for Itachi's eyes to widen at the force of the attacks. The mirror was holding, but Susanoo's arm was beginning to cave under the pressure from the attacks.

Itachi was forced to use the Sake Cutter Long Sword to seal both arrows away. Itachi turned his eyes towards Sasuke, who was already preparing a second volley. "Your eyes were already severely damaged from your battle with the Shukaku. If you continue using the Mangekyou like this, you'll become permanently blind." Indeed, even Itachi was beginning to feel his eyesight decay from prolonged use of Susanoo.

"_I don't care!" _Sasuke shouted. The three arrows held by Sasuke's Susanoo twisted together, forming a single arrow that was twice as large and trembling with barely restrained power. The violet guardian pulled back on the bow and let the tremendous power of the arrow loose.

Itachi's Susanoo automatically raised the shield to attempt to block the arrows, but Itachi had come to a decision. He had come here to test Sasuke and he now knew all he needed to know. Sasuke had done far better than Itachi could have ever dreamed of. There was no point in dragging out this charade any longer. It was time to end what he started the night of the Massacre. It was time for old Uchiha line to be eradicated.

Itachi took a deep breath, exhaled it, and let his Susanoo deactivate.

Without the God of Valor's protection, Sasuke's arrow impaled Itachi directly through the stomach. The missing ninja was thrown off his feet, carried by the arrow's momentum. Itachi painfully slammed into the far wall, where he remained suspended by the arrow.

Sasuke was so shocked by Itachi's action that he let his own Susanoo fade without even realizing it. Not even fully aware of what he was doing, Sasuke ran over towards where his brother had slid down the wall after the arrow disappeared with Sasuke's Susanoo.

Sasuke knelt down next to his brother, already fully aware that the gaping hole in his chest would kill him. Even with his Sharingan sight reduced to almost nothing, Sasuke could see that the damage was far too great. Not even Sakura would be able to completely heal a wound like that and Itachi didn't have a medic of her caliber on hand willing to help him.

"Why?" Sasuke demanded. "Why did you do that? You let that attack through."

Itachi chuckled weakly, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth. "I let it strike me because you don't need me anymore. Sasuke, there is much I have to tell you and I don't have much time. So please let me speak. Our clan has long been plagued by a Curse of Hatred. The Uchiha clan has a great capacity to love. Be it family, friends, or comrades, our compassion always runs deep, but that is what makes us dangerous. Our greatest powers come to us through the pain and fear of losing our loved ones."

Sasuke's mind flashed back to before the loops began, so many years ago, to the mission in Wave. It was during the fight with Haku when Sasuke activated his Sharingan for the first time. The eyes didn't emerge from facing a stronger opponent, the activated because Sasuke wanted to protect Naruto from harm. Sasuke had been terrified that he was going to lose his friend and was determined to protect him. The Sharingan responded to those emotions.

Itachi continued. "I realized from a very young age that our clan was doomed. Our capacity to love should have been our greatest strength, but we began exploiting it to gain the higher levels of the Sharingan. The Uchiha's desire for power began overtaking them, to the point where they were prepared to stage a civil war to gain control of the Leaf village. Do you know what a rebellion from a founding clan would result in? No matter who would win, the other villages wouldn't be able to resist attacking a divided and weakened Leaf village. The Uchiha's rebellion would have plunged us into another Great Ninja War. It couldn't be allowed to happen, the Uchiha had to be stopped."

"That's when the Hokage and the Elders ordered you to put down the entire clan before they could revolt." Sasuke whispered. Itachi's eyes widened. "I-I've known the truth of the Uchiha clan for a very long time, but I've never understood your actions during that night. The Elders claim you spared me because you truly loved me, so why did you torture me that night?"

Itachi chuckled weakly. "Truthfully Sasuke, I was afraid. Sasuke, you were such a cute child. You were full of life, always smiling, always laughing, and had such a cheerful personality." Sasuke momentarily tried to remember his own childhood and found he couldn't. All he can remember about his life before the loops was being in a constant state of brooding and self-hate. The thought of being a cheerful child actually seemed alien to him.

"I could tell from the moment I saw you that you had a kind heart and an incredible capacity to love. It terrified me. It terrified me, because I could see the incredible potential within you. I believe that father saw it as well. That is why he so pointedly ignored you; he hoped to draw out your power as early as possible. I knew if you were left unchecked, your heart would continue to grow and grow. If anything were to happen to those you cared about, it terrified me to think about what you could have become."

Sasuke clenched his fist, his mind falling back to the dark days after Naruto and Sakura had been taken from him. The things he had done, the atrocities he had committed, it made him sick just thinking about it. Itachi continued on, unaware of Sasuke's thoughts.

"When the order came to wipe out the clan, I knew I couldn't bring myself kill you. You were an innocent child; you didn't deserve death for the foolishness of your family. At the same time, I knew you loved our family, even if father ignored you. To have your family ripped away from you so cruelly, I knew it would bring about the Uchiha Hatred within you." Itachi swallowed hard before continuing. "You needed a focus for your hatred, something you could strive towards; otherwise your hatred would consume you and everyone around you."

Itachi took a shuddering breath. "I knew what I had to do. I made sure you knew it was me who killed our clan and then I struck you with the Tsukuyomi. I…I knew it was a horrible, inhumane thing to do and to this day I've never forgiven myself for it, but I needed to break you from your love. I needed you to devote yourself to overcoming me, so that you could overcome the Curse of Hatred."

Sasuke's mind was a whirlwind of emotions as his mind struggled to comprehend what he had learned. "I don't understand. How did you expect me to overcome the Curse of Hatred when you made sure I would fall under it? You _told _me to devote myself to hatred."

Itachi smiled slightly. "It was a gamble, but one that paid off. I believed in you, Sasuke. I believed that you could rise above such hatred and anger. I believed that you could learn to love again, even after being so greatly harmed in the past. You didn't disappoint me, Sasuke. You said it yourself; you fought me to protect your loved ones, not to gain revenge. You've done it, Sasuke. You've overcome the Curse of Hatred."

Itachi suddenly grimace in pain and Sasuke realized that Itachi didn't have much blood left. The elder Uchiha's time was running out. "I…I don't have long, Sasuke. I must leave you with a warning. You are not the last Uchiha left alive. Beware Uchiha Madara. I don't know how he has stayed alive for so long, but he is very dangerous. I believe he will search you out and attempt to sway you to his side, but you have already overcome your own hatred. I can rest easy with the knowledge that you are beyond Madara's grasp."

Itachi's breath was beginning to come in short gasps. "Sasuke, I have one last request. Please take my eyes."

Sasuke stared down at his brother in shock. "Take your eyes? What do you mean?"

Itachi took a deep breath. "There is a way to counteract the Darkness of The Mangekyou. If you transplant the eyes of another Uchiha who has gained the Mangekyou with your own eyes, integrating the two, then you can create The Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. Not only will it restore your sight, but using the Mangekyou will never erode your eyesight again. If you take my eyes, not only will your sight return, but you will gain even greater control and power from the Mangekyou."

Sasuke was shocked. "T-Transplant your eye? Brother, I can't!"

Itachi chuckled slightly. "That's the first time you've called me your brother since the Massacre. Please Sasuke, this is my final request. Your eyes shine with a glorious light and I would never forgive myself if I let the Darkness consume them." Itachi weakly reached up and placed his hand on the back of Sasuke's head. The elder Uchiha pulled Sasuke's head down until their foreheads were touching. "I won't ask you to forgive me for the things I've done. I just want you to know that I have always loved you and that you have made me very proud to be your brother."

Sasuke felt the hand on the back of his head go limp and slowly slide away. The elder Uchiha's breathing stopped and his eyes closed for the final time. Itachi Uchiha was dead.

Sasuke's tears fell onto Itachi's face. "Brother." He whispered. "Even after all this time, even after all the things I've done, you still believed in me. Just like Naruto and Sakura, you truly believed that I was could become a great ninja. You were willing to throw your own life and happiness away for my sake. Itachi… thank you."

Sasuke wiped his eyes and stared down at his brother. "You truly are one of the greatest men I have ever met, Itachi. I need you with me, brother. I will carry a part of you, so that you can watch over me." Sasuke took a deep breath and reached for Itachi's eyes.

Scene Break

Naruto quickly surveyed the room he had entered. It appeared to be some type of war room. There were maps covering the walls, all covered in battle plans, and a large table in the center of the room that featured a scale model of Tanzaku Quarter, most likely to be used in case of invasion to formulate strategies. Naruto quickly kicked the table into the far wall, he needed all the space he could get and it would only get in his way.

The sound of the door slamming shut was the only warning Naruto got before Kisame's blade, The Samehada, attempted to take his head off. Naruto ducked beneath the swing and lashed out with the Decapitator. Kisame easily avoided the attack and jumped backward.

The missing ninja rested his sword, which was still mostly covered in bandages, on his shoulder while eyeing Naruto. "You have a lot of nerve wielding that blade in my presence, boy." Kisame said.

Naruto snorted. "What do you care? This is coming from the man who not only gleefully slaughtered his own teammates to prevent information from falling into enemy hands, but also gained admittance into the Seven Swordsman by killing his instructor. I've heard plenty of other stories about you, Monster of the Mist."

Kisame narrowed his eyes. "You're certainly knowledgeable about my past, but that's not the issue here. Do you really think you have the right to wield that sword?"

"What does it matter? Zabuza is dead."

Kisame's grip on his sword tightened. "Did you defeat and kill him in combat?"

"No." Naruto replied. It had been a team effort to take down Zabuza and Sasuke was the one who delivered the killing blow.

_"Then you don't have the right to wield it!"_ Kisame suddenly roared and charged at Naruto. The blonde barely managed to block Kisame's sword with his own, only for the force of the attack to knock him off his feet.

Kisame pressed his advantage, only for Naruto to replace himself with a nearby chair. Naruto reared back with his sword, the Decapitator glowing with wind Chakra. "Wind Style: Helm Splitter!" Naruto slammed the blade into the ground, causing three blades of wind to shoot out from the impact point, slicing through the ground.

Kisame easily side-stepped the attack and rushed at Naruto. The blonde time-traveler intercepted Kisame's swing with the Decapitator, but once again found his grip faltering beneath Kisame's strength. Naruto lashed out with a kick to Kisame's gut, but the Mist ninja easily avoided it. Kisame began raining down blows on Naruto with the blonde desperate to keep up.

Kisame was easily one of the strongest members of Akatsuki. He and Itachi concretely held the position of third and fourth strongest members, after Tobi and Pein. In many ways, Kisame was the worst opponent for Naruto to face. Naruto's specialty laid in his high speed, his ludicrous amounts of chakra, and his ability to basically overwhelm his opponents. Unfortunately, Kisame was his equal in almost every regard.

Kisame was terrifyingly fast, one of the fastest opponents Naruto had ever had to face. On top of that, Kisame had Chakra reserves that could rival a Bijuu. Naruto actually had larger reserves than Kisame, but the Samehada sword evened the playing field. With Kisame's sword able to gleefully eat chakra and swallow jutsu, Naruto had to expend a lot more chakra then Kisame did to stay effective. Naruto had hoped that bringing his own legendary sword to the fight would help him, but was rapidly realizing how stupid that was.

"Challenge the strongest member of the Seven Swordsman to a one on one sword duel with one of their own goddamn blades. _Real_ bright." Naruto muttered. Naruto had slowly been realizing over the course of his training that he wasn't suited to wield the Decapitator. The blade was simply too large and unwieldy for Naruto's fighting style. Naruto needed speed and precision something like kunai, short swords, or even a katana would suit him better than the giant carving knife. That was no more apparent than in his current fight. Kisame could twirl The Samehada around like a baton while Naruto needed both hands to use The Decapitator.

Naruto silently cursed for being so full of himself. He gets his hands on a famous sword and suddenly he thinks he can take on Kisame in a sword fight. The reason the Decapitator is so well known isn't because of its incredible abilities, it's because of who wielded it. Zabuza was the one who made the sword famous, not the other way around.

Naruto inwardly sighed. He was trying to change his style to incorporate something he wasn't suited for. That wasn't how he operated. Naruto was a man who always followed his own path and ideals. Trying to change his fighting style to use The Decapitator was more detrimental than anything else. He shouldn't be changing himself; he should be using his own style and techniques to bring his opponent down. _That_ is how Naruto Uzumaki rolled.

Mind made up, Naruto inhaled deeply and released his breath like a jet at the ground. The blast of wind propelled Naruto backwards and away from Kisame. Kisame regarded Naruto silently, wondering what the blonde was up to. Naruto flipped The Decapitator upside down and stabbed the blade into the floor. Once he was satisfied that the sword wouldn't be going anywhere, Naruto walked around it and dropped into a battle stance.

Kisame stared at his opponent for a moment, but said nothing. This time, Naruto was the one who charged at Kisame. The shark man swung his sword at Naruto, only for the blonde to leap over the attack and onto Kisame's shoulders. Before the Missing ninja could react, Naruto's feet clamped down on either side of his head.

Wind surrounded Naruto in a vortex, causing him to spin in the air and take Kisame along with him. Naruto, while still spinning rapidly, used his momentum to flip Kisame over himself and slam the former Mist Ninja into the floor. "Uzumaki Style: Cyclone Smash!"

Naruto was flung into the air from the recoil of the attack. He flipped himself upside down and landed on the ceiling. Pumping chakra into his legs, Naruto shot off the ceiling towards Kisame. Naruto extended his knee and brutally crashed it straight into Kisame's spine before he could get up off the ground. "Uzumaki Style: Satellite Drop!"

Kisame grunted in pain, but he was as tough as they came. It would take a lot more than that to take him out of a fight. The blue skinned man slammed his hand onto the ground. "Water Style: Piranha Missiles!" Water flowed out of Kisame's sleeve and formed into sleek water projectiles shaped like open mouthed piranha.

The aquatic creations shot through the air towards Naruto. The time-traveler flung himself off of Kisame's back to avoid the attack, but that only gave the swordsman time to launch an even bigger jutsu. "Water Style: Shark Bomb!"

From his crouching position on the ground, a twelve foot shark made of water formed around Kisame. The liquid carnivore snapped its jaw twice before speeding towards Naruto. The spikey haired blonde pulled back his hand and slammed it into the snout of the shark just as it got within range. "Wind Style: Unrelenting Force!" The blast of concussive air blew the shark apart, scattering it into tiny droplets of water.

Naruto's back suddenly exploded in pain. The blonde cried out while falling to his knees. Naruto glance behind him to see Kisame standing behind him. The man was grinning a sharp-toothed grin and holding up his sword, which was covered in Naruto's blood.

'Bastard used the Shark Bomb as a distraction to get behind me.' Naruto inwardly groused. His back was already trying to heal, but Kisame had shaved most of the skin off the blonde's back. It was a slow process. Ignoring the pain, Naruto shot to his feet and formed a Rasengan in his hand.

Kisame easily saw the attack coming and simply raised The Samehada sword to block it. As soon as the jutsu came in contact with the blade, the sword devoured the chakra and cancelled the jutsu. Naruto attempted to coat himself in Wind Chakra for protection, but Kisame quickly put a stop to that by simply swinging his sword at Naruto. The blade didn't actually connect, but it came close enough to devour the chakra of the jutsu.

Cursing lightly, Naruto swung a fist at Kisame's face. Naruto knew how to fight enemies with large weapons at close range. The best thing to do was to use their weapon against them. Things like swords and spears had flat edges or parts that weren't dangerous to the touch, like a shaft or handle. It was easy to gain control by simply grabbing a weapon on its flat edge or even using it as a foot hold.

That strategy went right out the window against a weapon like the Samehada. It wasn't a sword so much as a bunch of spikey teeth glued together. As Kisame liked to boast, The Samehada sword doesn't slice, it shreds. There was literally no part of the blade Naruto could come in contact with that wouldn't hurt him. Even the hilt would emit spikes if anyone other than Kisame tried to wield it.

Kisame just stood there, laughing as Naruto tried to land a blow. He wasn't even fighting back, he was just moving his sword to intercept Naruto's blows and the blonde would pull back to avoid getting stabbed. Jutsu didn't fare any better, they all dissipated before they could do any sort of damage.

'I need something he can't block.' Naruto thought. 'Something that his sword can't absorb.' An idea suddenly occurred to Naruto. He _did _have a technique in his arsenal that Kisame couldn't block. He really didn't want to use it, but Kisame was a very powerful opponent. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Naruto flung himself backwards to gain some distance. He reached into his pouch and pulled out a sealing scroll. Kisame spoke. "What, going back to using weapons now?" He mocked. A cynical smirk appeared on Naruto's lips.

"Not exactly." Naruto ripped open the scroll and held it out toward Kisame. The Mist ninja stared in confusion at the seals on the scroll. They didn't resemble anything he had ever seen before. The seals began to glow as Naruto channeled chakra into them. 'I'm sorry, Kakashi.'

"Distortion Wave!"

The technique was disturbingly fascinating to watch. The radius of the attack spread out from the scroll in a cone. All colors within the scope of the attack appeared polarized. Black turned to white, blue to orange, and so on. Long, brutal gash began forming within the cone as the negative space from the scroll began tearing real matter apart.

Kisame started screaming as soon as the technique struck. He tried using his sword to defend, but the only chakra used in the technique came from the scroll itself. The Samehada was flung out of Kisame's hands as his skin began tearing itself apart. Kakashi had managed to halt that technique by using Kamui, The Authority of The Gods, to tear open his own dimensional hole and escape the Distortion Wave. Kisame had no such option available to him.

Naruto was so focused on watching the effects of the Distortion Wave that he was completely unprepared for a large set of teeth to sink into his forearm. The sudden pain caused him to drop the scroll, cancelling the Distortion Wave as he could no longer pump chakra into it.

Naruto stared down at what had interrupted his technique. Kisame's sword, The Samehada, had completely shed its bandages. The blade was now wider than Naruto and had an honest to God mouth that was currently latched onto Naruto's arm. The sword was literally growling at him.

Thoroughly disturbed by this, Naruto desperately began thrashing his arm in an attempt to get the demonic sword off of him. A sudden whistle caused the blade to release its hold on Naruto's arm. The sword began slinking its way over towards Kisame, making sure to shred Naruto's scroll on the way. Naruto stared at the weapon as it pressed its snout into Kisame's leg, like a worried dog. Kisame began running his hand along The Samehada's back and the blade honestly began purring.

'That think isn't sword.' Naruto thought. 'It's a goddamn demon on a stick!'

Naruto finally managed to tear his gaze away from the sword and focus on Kisame. He was crouched down on one knee, breathing heavily. His Akatsuki cloak had been destroyed by the Distortion Wave and his body was littered with long gashes. However, Even now his wounds were beginning to close. Naruto realized that the hand Kisame was stroking The Samehada with must have been absorbing extra chakra to heal his wounds.

Kisame slowly got to his feet. "What. The fuck. Was that?" Kisame demanded.

Naruto heaved a sigh. "A project I've been working on." 'And pretty much my last shot.' Naruto added silently.

Kisame picked up The Samehada, the blade thankfully shrinking down to its dormant form. "You're one seriously scary kid, you know that?" Kisame asked. Naruto was about to respond, when they both a sudden flare of chakra caused them to turn towards the doorway they had come in through. There was a moment of silence as they both tried to comprehend what they had just felt. "I don't believe it." Kisame whispered.

The sudden flare of chakra followed by it being snuffed out was a strong indication of a ninja's death. Both Kisame and Naruto instantly recognized whose Chakra it was. Naruto couldn't help the small smile that worked its way onto his face. "Sasuke won."

"I don't believe it." Kisame repeated. "Itachi is actually dead?"

Naruto stared at Kisame. He paid attention to the man's body language along with the tone of his voice. Naruto was very good at reading people and recognized the signs that Kisame was displaying. The blonde heaved a sigh and began walking over towards where he planted the Decapitator.

Kisame notice this. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?"

Naruto pulled The Decapitator out of the ground. "This fight is over."

"Like Hell it is." Kisame growled. "I'm nowhere near beaten."

Naruto still wasn't looking at Kisame. "No, but you are finished."

Kisame charged at Naruto. The blonde calmly turned around, making no move to defend himself. Kisame halted The Samehada sword less than an inch away from Naruto's face, but the blonde didn't even flinch. "What makes you think I'm finished?"

Naruto crossed his arms, not showing a trace of fear. "You've lost your will to continue fighting. I've seen it happen before. It can be difficult to keep a battle going after you lose a very close comrade."

Kisame laughed. "What? You mean Itachi? I'm the Monster of the Mist, remember? I don't care about my comrades."

Naruto was unimpressed. "Oh yeah? Then why did you stop your sword?" Kisame's eyes widened. "I made no move to defend myself and blatantly showed you my back. Yet, you still halted your attack before it got to me. Not exactly the actions of a monster, don't you think? Face it, losing Itachi took the fight out of you."

Kisame wanted to deny it. He wanted to shave this little brat's face off. He wanted to show this kid why he had been named the Monster of the Mist. He wanted… he wanted… he wanted to see Itachi. Kisame had never experienced this feeling before. He _didn't_ want to continue battling. His sword just felt heavy in his hand. He didn't want to keep fighting; he wanted to go mourn Itachi. He wanted to mourn his _friend._

Kisame slowly lowed The Samehada sword away from Naruto, his eyes downcast. A cynical chuckle worked its way up his throat. "Well what do you know, Itachi? Looks like I'm not so cold hearted after all."

Kisame's attention was suddenly drawn to the handle being held out to him. His eyes moved up to see Naruto offering the Decapitator. "Listen, I… I wanted to apologize. You were right; I didn't have any right to wield this sword. You should take it back, it belongs the Seven Swordsman, even if it's a former member."

Kisame regarded Naruto silently for a moment before he place The Samehada sword on his back. "Hmm, you're just a kid, so I guess I can let it go this time. Just don't pull anything stupid like that again." Kisame reached out and wrapped his hand around the handle. He hefted the Decapitator up, allowing a few memories of a certain Mist assassin to play through his mind before sighing and placing the sword on his back. The Decapitator and The Samehada now formed an X on Kisame's back, the two blades being suspended with chakra.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Naruto broached. Kisame heaved another sigh.

"I'm going home. I'm done for the day. You can just go; you aren't my assigned Jinchuuriki anyway." Kisame said with a dismissive wave.

Naruto couldn't quite help the sigh of relief. "Good. I really don't think I can beat you yet."

"Yet?"

Naruto grinned. "Give me time; I've still got a lot farther to grow. One day, I'll wipe the floor with you."

Despite himself, Kisame chuckled. "I'll be waiting, then. So long, kid."

"Wait, before you go." Naruto said, Kisame regarded the blonde silently. "When I met with Zabuza, he had an apprentice with him. A young girl whose mother managed to survive the bloodline purge of the Mist, but was eventually found out. After her parents was killed, she activated her ice bloodline in self-defense. She didn't have anywhere else to go, so Zabuza took her in and trained her."

Kisame snorted. "That doesn't surprise me. Zabuza always did like kids."

That revelation threw Naruto for a loop, but he pressed onward. "I have it on good authority that she was the one who killed Gato after he had Zabuza murdered. Last I heard, she was on the run. If it's not too much to ask, do you think you could find her? She's a good girl and an even better ninja. She deserves more than a constant life alone."

Kisame regarded Naruto for a moment. "Little Zabuza got himself a little apprentice, eh? Well alright, I suppose I can track her down. I owed Zabuza a favor anyway. It would be a shame to let his legacy go to waste. Maybe she'll even be a decent successor to The Decapitator."

Naruto couldn't quite help the smile that worked its way onto his face. "I was wrong about you, Kisame. For someone called the Monster of the Mist, you're actually a pretty nice guy, underneath it all."

Kisame snorted. "Yeah well, don't go spreading it around. It would ruin my rep."

"My lips are sealed." Kisame gave Naruto one last nod before he disappeared in a swirl of water. Naruto stared at the spot where Missing ninja had stood, before suddenly remembering that there were still two more Akatsuki members around. "Sakura. Jiraiya."

Naruto kicked open the doors to the throne room and charged into the fray.

Scene break

Kisame appeared in the library, idly taking note of all the damage the room had suffered. "Someone is going to pitch a fit over this." He thought.

The Missing ninja's eyes were drawn to two figures against the far wall. Itachi was lying prone on the ground, but Kisame found his eyes drawn to Sasuke, who was standing rigidly over his brother with his eyes closed.

Kisame's approaching footsteps alerted Sasuke to his presence. The young Uchiha's eyes flashed open and Kisame felt a slight pang in his heart as he recognized Itachi's Mangekyou mixed with Sasuke's. The younger sibling dropped into a ready stance, only for Kisame to raise his hands in surrender.

"I'm not here to fight you." He said simply. Sasuke said nothing, his eyes latching onto The Decapitator on Kisame's back. The Mist ninja noted this. "You're blonde friend is a hell of a fighter. He gave me Zabuza's sword if I agreed to retreat."

Sasuke relaxed, but only slightly. "If you're going to retreat, then why are you still here?"

"I want to bury Itachi."

Sasuke certain hadn't been expecting that. "Why?"

"He was my friend." Kisame said simply, as if that was all reason he needed. In a way, it was.

Sasuke hesitated for a moment before stepping aside.

Kisame nodded his head. "Thank you. You should probably go help out your other friends though."

Sasuke's eyes widened. "Sakura! Naruto!" The last Uchiha took off across the library and out the door into the throne room.

"So, that kid is all that remains of Itachi Uchiha's Legacy, huh? He sure doesn't look like much, but what do I know?"

Kisame watched Sasuke go for a moment before turning his attention towards Itachi. As he approached, Kisame couldn't help but snort as he got a look at Itachi's face. "Of course you, of all people, would die with a smile on your face. I've been your partner for nearly five years and never seen you so much as chuckle and _now_ you finally smile?"

Kisame just shook his head. "I don't understand you, Itachi. I really don't." The blue skinned man stared down at the smiling face of Itachi. "Well partner, I kept my promise and stayed out of your way while you confronted your brother. I don't know what you were looking for, but I sure hope you found it."

Kisame knelt down and gently lifted Itachi's body into his arms. "Come on, buddy. Let's get out of here." With that, Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha vanished.

Scene Break

Sakura and Jiraiya both dived behind a pillar to avoid one of Deidara's explosive art projects. Sakura was going over what she knew about her two opponents before talking with Jiraiya. "Jiraiya, I'm going to go after Sasori, do you think you can handle Deidara?"

The Toad Sannin eyed her for a moment. "Why do you want to take on Sasori?" He asked.

Sakura grit her teeth. "I don't _want_ to face either of them. Frankly, I don't even want to be here right now, but we don't have any other options. Sasori is a puppet master and he is sure to have all sorts of poisons ready. So much as a single cut can be fatal without an antidote, which I don't have with me."

"You don't have any poison antidote?" Jiraiya demanded. "What kind of medic ninja are you?"

Sakura didn't appreciate that insult to her skills. "Sasori of the Red Sand uses very potent, custom made poisons. Regular antidotes won't work; they need to be custom made as well. Without a sample of the poison itself, I can't make any antidotes." She whispered furiously. "As such, we need to avoid getting hit by him at all costs. I have the best defenses with my sand, so I should be the one to fight him."

Jiraiya nodded, mollified by her answer. "Ok, I'll take care of the explosive happy blonde. You deal with the walking doll house. Just be careful." Sakura nodded.

Jiraiya suddenly ran out from under cover, already forming seals. "Fire style: Salamander!" A deep red serpent of flame shot out of the Sannin's mouth and up in the air towards Deidara, who was standing on one of his giant clay birds.

Sakura, meanwhile, moved to face Sasori in his Hiruko puppet. "Finally, I'm tired of waiting around." The outer layer of Hiruko's cloak had been removed, revealing the mechanical features of the puppet. Sakura was in luck, it didn't seem like Sasori had made some of the improvements to Hiruko yet. As opposed to the bright red demon face that usually made up the puppets outer shell, it was now a relatively dull brown turtle shell. The left arm was just a basic arm as opposed to the Senbon Torpedo Fist, which Sakura was grateful for.

Sakura smirked at the puppet. "Well wait no longer, because here I come!" Sakura took off running towards the hunched over puppet. Sasori ripped away Hiruko's bandana, revealing three disconnected lower jaws. All three opened wide, allowing a barrage of senbon needles to fly out at Sakura.

The needles only came from a set point and in a relatively thin stream. For Sakura, dodging them was easy. The pink haired girl swerved back and forth as she closed in on Hiruko, the puppet unable to hit her. The pink haired medic suddenly leapt into the air directly over Hiruko. The puppet's head was unable to tilt that high, so Sasori instead used the bladed tail to attack.

A barrier of sand blocked the bladed tip from hitting Sakura. A small bar formed on the side of the barrier, almost like a handle. Sakura had discovered, much to her delight, that her sand could be used to create footholds in midair whenever she needed them. Sakura's hands latched onto the handle and she used it to swing beneath the metallic tail and smash her feet directly into Hiruko's shell. "Knock knock!"

The puppet crumbled beneath Sakura's super powered blow. The real Sasori quickly darted out of the wreckage to avoid damage. Sakura, well aware of how much use even a broken puppet could be for someone of Sasori's level, quickly incinerated the remains of Hiruko.

"That was one of my favorite puppets." Sasori seethed, his voice noticeably less gravely now that he was out of Hiruko. He cast off the remains of Hiruko's cloak, revealing a deceptively young face beneath bright red hair. "Now I'll have to take you as a replacement, little girl."

Sasori's eyes roamed over Sakura. "Incredibly fit, appealing features, and I rather like the distinct pink hair. Yes, I think you will make a fine puppet."

Sakura placed a hand on her hip. "Sorry, I never cared much for dolls. Maybe you should stop being a coward and fight for yourself." Sasori was far too experienced to let a petty insult like that get to him, instead he pulled out a sealing scroll with the number three emblazoned on it.

Sakura tensed as a puff of smoke revealed a new puppet. This one was a tad taller than Sasori; it wore a long black cloak and had wild black hair. The features were blank and hardened, but Sakura still recognized who it was.

"You've turned the Third Kazekage into a puppet." She observed. Sasori's eyes lit up, he loved it when people recognized his work.

"Indeed. He was quite difficult to bring down, but he was worth it. I 'collected' him when I left my village." Sasori's hand reached up and stroked the puppet's cheek. "It wasn't easy to kill him, but it was even harder to make sure he didn't lose any of his magnificent abilities in the transition. I must say I think I did a phenomenal job with him." Sasori was always happy to talk about his art.

Sakura did some quick mental calculations. "You kidnapped him when you left the village, the Third Kazekage disappeared seventeen years ago and you're thirty-two." Sakura blinked. "You managed to kill the strongest Kazekage when you were fifteen?" Despite herself, Sakura couldn't quite keep the admiration out of her voice.

A smirk appeared on Sasori's face. "Indeed I did, and I did much more than just kill him. Would you like to see the true extent of my art?" The former Kazekage's mouth opened, revealing a passage way down into its stomach. Dark grey, almost black grains began filtering out of the mouth and floating around the puppet.

"The Kazekage's signature technique, Iron Sand." Sakura said in awe. "I still don't understand how you manage to do this. I can understand how you convert a human shell into a puppet, but how do manage to keep the bloodlines and special techniques as well?"

Sasori chuckled. "You can call them 'dolls' if you wish, but my art is unparalleled." A sly grin grew on his face. "Why do you sound so interested? Are you, perhaps, interested in learning my style?"

"I'm a medic, my interest is professional." Sakura paused for a moment. "Are you offering to teach me?"

Sasori's expression settled into an easy and rather handsome smile. "I don't see why not. I'm always on the lookout for potential students to pass my skill onto, not that I have any intention of dying." Sasori took a moment to give Deidara, who was laughing manically why trying to blow up Jiraiya, a dirty look. "Besides, I really need a new apprentice who understands _real_ art."

"What would I have to do to gain you favor?" Sakura asked slowly.

Sasori tilted his head slightly in contemplation. "Being able to use puppet techniques, obviously. Good chakra control along with some medical background would be a plus. Showing initiative and creativity by creating your own puppets, I dislike when a puppet user uses other peoples work in battle. Not being disturbed by turning humans into puppets would also help."

Sakura mentally filed that information away, promising to take up Sasori on his offer in another loop. "It's a tempting offer, but I don't think I could fit all the requirements right now."

"Are you sure? I can see potential in you; there's a lovely fire in your eyes. I would be willing to teach if you're willing to learn." The missing ninja honestly sounded remorseful.

Sakura just shook her head. "Sorry, not this time. I'll hit you up in another life."

Sasori nodded. "Another life it is then. Now, here I come!" The iron sand floating around the puppet separated and formed tiny spheres. "Bullet Rain!"

The tiny projectiles flew through the air towards Sakura. The pink haired Jinchuuriki remained stationary. Sakura's own sand rose into a wall, absorbing the deadly barrage. Sasori smirked. "That was a mistake."

With a flick of his finger, Sasori sent the Third Kazekage hurtling through the air towards Sakura, a sadistic bladed wheel spinning in the puppet's hands. Sakura waited for her sand to defend her, only for her eyes to widen when her sand remained stationary.

Not having time to figure out what was wrong, Sakura threw herself backwards to avoid the deadly blades. The marionette closed in on her, using its extended reach to stay out of range from her super powered fists. The Kazekage's free arm suddenly popped open, revealing even more poison soaked blades. Realizing she was getting hedged in, Sakura retreated underground.

Using her earth techniques, Sakura tunneled through the concrete floor towards where Sasori was standing. Once she was beneath him, she thrust her hands out of the floor, hoping to catch the missing ninja by surprise. Sasori was an S-classed ninja for a reason, and shot off to the side, avoiding Sakura's attack.

Cursing slightly, Sakura pulled herself out of the ground. Sasori once more had the Kazekage floating near him, but this time without the Iron Sand. Curious, Sakura attempted to locate the metallic sand. She found it when her eyes fell on her own pile of sand.

"So that's why my sand shield stopped working." She mused out loud. "You used your Iron Sand to suppress it."

Sasori nodded. "Indeed. The Iron Sand is far heavier than your regular sand. By mixing my sand in with yours, I'm able to keep it stationary."

Sakura nodded. "Impressive."

Sasori gave a theatric sigh. "I'm afraid I can't take credit for the idea. This was a technique used by the Fourth Kazekage to suppress the Sand of the Shukaku, though he used Gold Dust as opposed to Iron Sand." Sasori's expression turned wistful. "It's a shame that Orochimaru killed him before I could. I'm certain that Gold Dust would have made a beautiful addition to my collection."

Sakura was listening, but her eyes were intent on her sand. She tried several times to will the sand to move or take shape, but the Iron Sand always moved to stop it. She noticed that Sasori's eyes were also on the mixed pile of sand.

Sakura spoke. "It's a very interesting technique, but I wonder how long you can keep it up." Sasori arched his brow, prompting Sakura to continue. "You can't actually control the Iron Sand, you control the puppet, which controls the Iron Sand. That means you have to not only manage your puppet, but micromanage to keep my sand in check. Think you can maintain that level of focus while holding me off?"

Sasori frowned slightly. "You're in the same boat I am; I can feel you trying to free your sand."

Sakura laughed. "I'm afraid not. My sand is fueled by the energy of the Bijuu within me. It doesn't need me to command it to move, it does it subconsciously. I can fight freely and my sand will still continue to struggle to protect me."

Sasori grimaced. "It doesn't matter. As a Puppet Master, I am well versed in dividing my attention to multiple things at once."

Sakura smirked. "Then why haven't you noticed my Shadow Clone sneaking up behind you?"

Sasori's eyes widened and he whipped around to face the incoming threat, only for there to be nothing behind him. Realizing he'd been tricked, Sasori attempted to turn back around, but Sakura was already within striking range. _'Damn!'_

Sakura's fist slammed into Sasori's cheek with concussive force. If it wasn't' for his chakra reinforcing his body, his entire head would have shattered. The red-haired ninja was sent flying across the room, his puppet being dragged along with him.

Sasori managed to land on his feet, but saw Sakura already charging straight at him. He had no intention of letting her get close enough to hit him again. The Third Kazekage extended his arms. The separated limbs all split open, revealing seals along the inside of the arm. The seals all activated at once, causing dozens upon dozens of extended puppet arms to shoot out from the Third Kazekage. The hands and arms all shot towards Sakura attempting to crush her.

Sakura had begun performing seals the moment The Kazekage's arm opened. She crouched down and slammed both palms into the ground. "Earth Style: Ten-Thousand Fists!" The ground around Sakura suddenly exploded upward. The stone formed into a barrage of arms and fists that rose to meet Sasori's attack head on.

The reinforced wood of the puppet limbs were no match for the raw strength of stone. Sakura's jutsu pulverized Sasori's attack, the stone arms constantly pulling back and punching forward at blurring speeds.

With a broad grin, Sakura continued in her charge while her jutsu finished off the puppet limbs. Sasori scowled and flicked his finger upward. A tube popped out from the condensed mass of limbs, a deep purple cloud of toxic gas spewed from the tube, enveloping Sakura.

The time-traveling medic, easily recognizing the gas for poison, quickly held her breath before she inhaled the toxic fumes. The cloud was too large to escape out of before she would need another breathe, so Sakura got creative.

'Earth Style: Buzz saw!' She thought. On either side of Sakura, large blades rose from the ground. The blades spread out horizontally, forming a shape similar to a Windmill Shuriken. The poles connecting the blades to the ground began to spin, causing the blades to spin as well. Normally, Sakura would build up spinning speed before launching the saws at her opponent, but this time she kept them spinning. The whirling blades acted as make-shift fans, blowing the toxin away from Sakura, allowing her to breathe.

With fresh air in her lungs, Sakura let both spinning blades of death loose. The two stone saws tore through the air, one aimed at Sasori and the other at the Kazekage. Sasori snorted, easily jumping over the attack while commanding the Kazekage to do the same. As soon as he landed, however, he found Sakura directly in front of him, her fist pulled back to strike.

'Not this time.' Sasori thought. He may not have been a close range fighter, but he was still an S-ranked Shinobi. A poisoned kunai was instantly in his hand. He ducked beneath Sakura's punch and stabbed the blade into her stomach. Sasori's triumph was short lived, as Sakura disappeared in a puff of smoke.

'A Shadow Clone? Then that means…_no!'_ Sasori turned towards his favorite puppet, but it was already too late. He turned just in time to see the real Sakura smash the Kazekage to pieces. "Damn you!" Sasori cursed. His chakra strings attached to the one of the discarded blades from the Kazekage's arsenal. The poison blade shot off the ground towards Sakura.

A wall of Sand rose beside Sakura, halting the attack. Sakura smirked as her sand crushed the blade into a scrap of twisted metal. "Well, well, looks like I've got my sand back and you're out two puppets. Ready to surrender?"

Sasori stared at the young woman before him for a moment. It started out as a small chuckle, but it quickly grew into a full belly laugh. Sakura was slightly unnerved by the sudden laughing fit, uncertain of what Sasori found so amusing. It wasn't a cruel laugh, it sounded honestly amused.

Sasori settled down, shaking his head slightly. "Oh, this is brilliant." He reached up and began unbuttoning his Akatsuki robe. "I've been so bored lately, looking for a new challenge, when low and behold, you appear. It's been years since I've been pushed this far." Sasori cast his cloak aside. "It's been years since I've used myself in battle."

With the Akatsuki cloak gone, Sasori was left in only his pants and sandals, revealing his true body. There was a large hole in his stomach, showing a spear tip attached to a long rope curled within his stomach cavity, all soaked in poison. On his back was a holster containing five different scrolls and two sets of what appeared to be wings. The spread out on hinges from his back, but as opposed to feathers, they were formed by five curved blades each. There was a closed hatch over Sasori's right chest and from his chest emerged a round, cylindrical object marked with the word Scorpion.

This was Sasori of the Red Sand's true form, a living puppet.

The red head grinned as Sakura took in his appearance. "Do you like it?"

"It is certainly interesting, I'll give you that. Did you make a human puppet out of yourself? How did you manage to pull _that_ off?" Sakura asked.

Sasori chuckled. "Alas, no. This body, The Scorpion, is entirely mechanical in creation. Well…not entirely mechanical." Though Sasori didn't know it, Sakura knew he was referring to his heart. Sasori's heart was the only organic piece that remained within his body, located within the tube marked Scorpion. The living puppet grinned at Sakura. "Shall we continue?"

Spears of Sand shot towards Sasori as soon as he spoke. Rather than dodge, Sasori raised his left arm in front of him. Four separate slots on his arm opened at the elbow, forming a cross at his wrists. Blue chakra flared to life between the slots, forming a dome. The sand spears crashed into the chakra, only to immediately fall apart as soon as they did.

Sakura stared at Sasori with wide eyes. "How did you do that?" She demanded.

Sasori shrugged, his arm returning to normal. "Chakra shield. It's a useful little backup to have."

Sakura shook her head. "That's not what I'm talking about. Your shield didn't block my attack, you dispelled it."

Sasori's expression lit up. "Ah, I see what you mean. I matched the frequency of my Chakra shield to match your sand's frequency."

"Frequency?" Sakura asked.

Sasori nodded. "All jutsu and techniques circulate chakra in some way, shape, or form. If you know how, it's possible to match the frequency of another attack and dispel it, like I did with your sand."

Sakura's mind raced as she considered all the implications of Chakra frequency. Her eyes narrowed. "But how do you know the frequency of an attack?"

Sasori smiled. "That's the main weakness of this little trick. Unless it's an attack you are intimately familiar with, it is next to impossible to figure out the frequency of an attack. I managed to get a lock on your sand's frequency while I held it down with the Iron Sand. Your sand attack won't work on me."

Sakura mentally promised to learn more about Chakra Frequencies. It sounded like an incredibly useful, if somewhat limited, skill to have. She figured she could start by learning the frequency of her Sand's chakra once this fight was over. Who knows, it may even come in handy if she ever has to fight Gaara again.

A sudden thought occurred to Sakura. "You're being awfully informative about your techniques." She said slowly.

Sasori shrugged. "Honestly, I'm hoping to still convince you to become my apprentice."

Sakura snorted. "Sorry, but I have no intention of becoming a puppet."

Sasori looked offended. "As if I would waste your talents by adding you to my collection. You have far too much potential and power to simply let slip away. I don't need to make you a puppet to make you mine."

"I'm flattered, but it just isn't going to happen this time around."

Sasori sighed. "I figured as much, but it would be remiss of me not to try." His expression hardened. "You are very skilled. I don't think I can afford to hold back against you any longer." Sasori suddenly turned towards his blonde companion. "Deidara! I need some extra room!" He shouted.

Deidara chuckled. "I here you, Sasori my man. I think this ugly room could use a good skylight anyway!" Large clay spiders, which Sakura had not noticed until now, grew in size and crawled out from their hiding spots on the ceiling. Deidara, grinning like a madman, formed the ram seal. "Bang!"

The clay animals detonated with an ear shattering explosion. The entire ceiling was blown away, along with the entire upper two layers of the castle, allowing the sunlight from the outside to shine in. Sakura slowly lowered her sand shield, it had risen to protect against any rubble, and stared upward at the suddenly exposed blue sky. It was such a nice day, and here she was fighting for her life. Typical.

Sasori grabbed one of the scrolls off his back an unraveled it above his head, while popping open the hatch on the right side of his chest. "In acknowledgment of your skill, I will show you my greatest technique. Dozens of red cloaked figures shot out of the scroll Sasori unsealed while chakra strings flooded out of his chest and into the air.

Sakura soon found herself staring up at a small armies work of puppets suspended in the air, all attached to Sasori. "Red Sands Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Marionettes. I once used this technique to conquer an entire nation."

"Which nation?" Sakura couldn't help but ask.

"The Smoke Country." He replied

"Never heard of it."

Sasori smirked. "Exactly."

Sakura bit her lip as she gazed upon Sasori's attack force. She really didn't like her odds. Sakura was well versed in fighting multiple opponents, but this wasn't a hundred different people attacking her, this one man controlling a hundred bodies. In other words, Sasori would be able to perfectly coordinate his puppets to take her down. Even Naruto's Shadow clones became separate entities once they were created, meaning it was possible to confuse or fool one or two of them. That wasn't the case here. On top of that, Sasori would be able to adapt to anything she did instantly, since these puppets were tied to his core as opposed to his fingers. There was no delay between his commands and their movements.

Sasori raised his arms, the puppets above him readying their weapons. "It has been so long since I last used this technique. I hope you will give me a good show, a puppet dance is no fun without a decent partner."

"In that case, may I cut in?"

Sakura and Sasori both whipped around to see Naruto, a little beat up, but in one piece. The blonde grinned as he held his hands in his signature cross sign. "Mass Shadow Clone Jutsu!" The entire area was suddenly filled with blondes. "Let's go!" Naruto commanded. The shadow clones roared in approval and leapt into the air, the puppets flying down to meet their challenge.

A clone of Naruto landed next to Sakura. "Itachi's dead and Kisame retreated." He quickly informed her. "Let me and my clones deal with all-star puppet cast up there. You focus on Sasori." Sakura nodded and the clone quickly joined the fray.

All things considered, it was actually a pretty easy battle for Naruto. Sasori's technique specialized in overwhelming opponents with power and numbers. Unfortunately for him, it was literally impossible to outnumber Naruto. Sasori's poisoned weapons didn't really play a factor either, since Shadow Clones disappeared after one strike anyway and Naruto could easily just make more.

Sasori's Scorpion Stinger suddenly flew past Sakura. Like an idiot, she turned to look at where it landed, seeing it embedded in the far wall. The way the chord suddenly tightened made Sakura realize what Sasori was doing. She turned just in time to see Sasori flying towards, being pulled by the retracting cable. The bladed wings on his back were spinning wildly as he close in on her.

Sakura ducked beneath the living puppet, only barely managing to avoid the blades, but Sasori was ready for her. Two nozzles stuck out of the missing ninja's palms and blasted out powerful streams of fire. The flamethrowers acted as makeshift propulsion jets and allowed Sasori to immediately change directions in mid-air.

Sakura only barely managed to stand back up before Sasori crashed into her. The two tumbled on the ground in a confusing mass of limbs until Sasori managed to pin Sakura to the ground beneath him, one of his hands directly over her heart.

"It seems we've lost this day, but I can't just leave without saying goodbye." The nozzle on Sakura's chest began heating as Sasori prepared to launch another blast of fire. At this range, not even Sakura's sand would protect her. "Goodbye."

Sakura had no time to perform a jutsu, escape, or even counter attack. She had only one refuge: sheer audacity.

Sakura wrapped her arm around Sasori's neck and began running her finger over Sasori's heart. "You know, you're pretty sexy for a puppet. Are you anatomically correct? Because I bet this body of yours could go all night long."

The comment was _just _off kilter and out of the blue enough that Sasori paused his attack, trying to process what he just heard. Sakura, not about to let her one widow go waste, made a fist with hand on Sasori's heart and punched straight into it. The girl's fist shot straight through Sasori's chest and out the other side, obliterating his heart.

Sasori gasped in pain. He stared down at Sakura's arm sticking out of his chest, before meeting her eyes. He chuckled. "Straight for the kill, huh? Ah well, I guess you proved yourself the better ninja." Unable to support himself, Sasori collapsed on top of Sakura, putting his face inches away from hers. "Such lovely eyes." He murmured. "It's such a shame, I would have loved…to make you mine."

With that, Sasori's life force ran out and the missing ninja quietly passed away.

Sakura waited an extra few moments to make sure he was truly dead before pulling her arm out of his chest and moving out from beneath the body. There was a sudden series of loud crashing noises as Sasori's puppets all fell to the ground like, for lack of a better term, puppets whose strings had been cut.

Naruto quickly appeared standing over Sakura. He held out his hand for to take, which she gratefully did. Naruto spoke. "That's three down and one explosive happy blonde to go."

"Let's get him."

Scene Break

Deidara frowned. This white haired old man just refused to die. No matter how many explosives or tricks Deidara threw at him, the man always found a way around them. If he was being honest with himself, Deidara would acknowledge that Jiraiya was simply a better ninja than he was, but Deidara was too angry to be honest with himself, so he just decided to blame God like he usually did.

Truthfully, the only reason Deidara wasn't already beaten was his height advantage on top of his creations, and even that had been a close call on several occasions. On top of that, Deidara was running out of clay for explosives, and Sasori was dead as well. Judging by the blonde kid running around now as well, that brute Kisame was probably gone as well.

Deidara didn't like the odds he was getting, and decided it was time for a grand exit. "This has been fun." He mockingly called down towards Jiraiya. "But it's time to end this. I'll show you all my specialty!"

The bird Deidara was riding on, the fourth one he had to make as Jiraiya kept destroying his others, suddenly flapped its wings hard and propelled the blonde man high into the air. Deidara didn't want to use this technique, since he didn't have enough clay to make it as grand and big as it should have been, but it would still be powerful enough to wipe out the entire castle, if nothing else.

The clay in Deidara's hands formed a simple statue. It was round on the bottom and pointed on the top. It had two arms that were crossed in front of it and a face twisted in a scream. Deidara grinned as he saw the tiny forms of his enemies down below. "Have a taste of my art!"

Deidara dropped the statue. He formed the ram seal, causing it to expand as it dropped. "Explosive Release: C3 Ohako!"

Scene Break

Naruto and Sakura began panicking as the realized what technique Deidara was using. "We have to get out of here! That thing is gonna level this entire castle!"

Jiraiya, who had quickly met up with the two time-travelers, spoke. "There's no time! We need a defensive jutsu!"

"I don't have anything that can block that!" Naruto shouted.

"We're out of time!" Sakura screamed. All three turned upward just in time to see the Ohako detonate.

High above and far away, Deidara watched with satisfaction as the Tanzaku Castle was wiped out by his Ohako. Nodding to himself, Deidara flew off, wondering how he was going to explain all this to the Leader.

Scene Break

Naruto honestly expected to wake up on the day of Team Selections, but the fact that he was lying on his stomach was a sign he wasn't. He slowly opened his eyes, but couldn't see anything. "Sakura? Jiraiya?

"We're here, Naruto." Jiraiya responded.

"What happened?" Naruto asked.

"I threw up a dome of Sand, hoping it would protect us." Sakura answered. "I didn't think it would actually work." Sakura commanded the sand away, causing the dome to dissolve. Once the dome was gone, it quickly became apparent what had actually saved them from Deidara's Ohako.

Sasuke was standing over them, and the area around them was protected by his Susanoo. Naruto and Sakura couldn't help but marvel at Sasuke's Susanoo's new form. The God of Valor was covered in twisted armor plating that gave the impression of skin flaking off. A massive bow was held in the left hand while the right held a ball of black fire. The head was covered in a helmet resembling a shrieking bird. The helmet twisted around the head and a pair of yellow eyes were visible within the darkness of the beak.

"Sasuke, what is that?" Naruto asked with awe.

"My Final Susanoo." He declared. "It changed shape when I gained my Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan." Sasuke turned to allow eyes to be shown. Naruto and Sakura both instantly recognized Itachi's three bladed windmill Mangekyou mixed with Sasuke's regular one.

"Eternal?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke nodded, letting the Susanoo fade and his Sharingan to deactivate. "The blindness is gone. My vision is back and better than ever." Jiraiya was about to ask how, when a voice rang out.

"What in the Hell is going on here?"

The four ninja turned to see Tsunade and Shizune making their way over the ruined remains of Tanzaku Castle. The Legendary Medic and her assistant were soon standing before the Leaf ninja. Tsunade continued. "The entire town is in a panic over all the explosions that have been going off and now the entire castle has been leveled. What do you four think your doing?"

Sakura snorted. "Oh, I'm sorry. We were just fighting off four goddamn S-rank ninja! Sorry if fighting for our lives disturbed your day!" She was in no mood for getting yelled at right now.

Jiraiya spoke. "Speaking of which, what happened in each of your fights?" Jiraiya asked.

Sasuke went first. "I killed Itachi and took his eyes, gaining my Eternal Mangekyou." Sasuke would share the revelations he'd learned about Itachi with his friends later.

Naruto went next. "Kisame is still alive, but I managed to make him retreat."

Sakura finished. "Sasori is dead, his body was probably destroyed in the blast."

Jiraiya sighed. "And Deidara got away." The Toad Sannin scratched the top of his head before grinning. "We engaged four members of Akatsuki, killed two of them, made the other two retreat, and came out of it with no casualties. I call that a pretty solid victory."

"You four really managed to fight off enemies that powerful?" Tsunade asked.

Jiraiya nodded. "Of course. Do you think I've been sitting on my ass all these years? I've been working hard to increase my skills. These three are my apprentices and they are growing into fine young ninja in their own right. Mark my words, Tsunade. These three will one day be running the Leaf."

Tsunade's head lowered. When was the last time _she _felt motivated to train? The desire to better herself and become stronger? The spark had left her after Dan died, but seeing these three children, already so strong, seemed to reignite the flame. She was Tsunade of Sannin. She wasn't about to sit back and let some little brats pass her by!

"They may run the village one day, but until then, we are still in charge." Tsunade declared.

Naruto grinned, recognizing the look of determination in Tsunade's eyes. "Does that mean you've made a decision?" he asked.

Tsunade nodded. "You've got it. My name is Tsunade Senju, future Fifth Hokage of the Leaf village."

Naruto smiled. "Now _that _is what I like to hear!"

End

A/N: Well that was…something. I would like to once again apologize for who long this chapter took me. It feels like forever. I hope you all enjoyed it.

I was a little hesitant to put Team 7 through the Wave arc, simply because it is one of the most used arcs in canon. I've seen everything from Zabuza containing a bloodline that turns him into the symbiote Carnage from the Spiderman comics to a sentinel from the Matrix movies attacking Naruto and downloading every single character from those movies into his brain. I am not even remotely kidding. Still, it's a station of canon, so I guess it would be remiss of me to not try my own spin on the arc. I tried what I could.

This may just be because I'm reading the wrong fanfics, but I seriously can't recall a seeing Susanoo used in Fanfiction. I understand why though, it is hard as fuck to describe the Susanoo's appearance.

Can you tell I like Sakura and Sasori together? Because I really like Sakura and Sasori together. Again, I'm not doing pairings in this story, so don't expect anything beyond occasional flirting or vague references.

See you next time.


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